


a promise

by Shouyaki



Category: BanG Dream! (Anime), BanG Dream! Girl's Band Party! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, not beta read we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-01-26 15:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 22,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21376420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shouyaki/pseuds/Shouyaki
Summary: two souls dance around each other, closer than they ever could have expected
Relationships: Hikawa Sayo/Imai Lisa
Comments: 16
Kudos: 220





	1. come melt away that unravelable loneliness.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [yuzukis](https://archiveofourown.org/users/yuzukis/gifts).

Sayo never really understood the concept of love, it was a strange and sometimes fickle thing. From a young age, it was clear to her that she had been inferior to her younger counterpart, Hina. Of course, despite the constant jealousy, deep down she knew that she still loved her sister. How could she not? They were family, and she was her  _ twin _ at that. But just because you love someone doesn’t necessarily mean you get along with them. Not immediately, of course.    


“Hina, how many times have I told you to not come into my room while I’m practicing?” she glares at her twin standing in the doorway.

“Onee-chan, you haven’t even eaten since you got home! All you’ve done is take a shower, do your homework, practice, and now you’re probably about to sleep. That’s not a boppin’ routine,” Hina sighs as she begins noticing the blisters on Sayo’s fingers.

“Hina, I told you that I’m fine and there is no need to  _ baby _ me like--”

Sayo lets out a strangled gasp as a sharp pain pierced through her and she clutches her chest in a futile attempt to alleviate it. Worry was etched on Hina’s face as she rushes to her sister’s side.

“Is it your soulmate?” the younger sibling’s voice leaks with concern. Sayo hates it, being pitied by her younger sister like this.

“Unfortunately yes,” she grimaces at the thought. Just what the hell did her soulmate get into?

Her first experience of the pain was when she was only a toddler. A normal day at the playground with Hina, until she felt a scrape on her right knee and blood began trickling down. At that point she was terrified, Hina was too. But then the blood just.. disappeared, vanished into thin air along with that scrape. The two were understandably confused, and proceeded to consult their parents. That was when Sayo and Hina both learned about the concept of soulmates, people who were bound to each other down to the core.

But she only thought it would be physical. For whatever reason, she had begun to feel small, dull pains within her chest. At first she feared that her soulmate had some sort of heart disease, but it turned out that some soulmates can begin to feel the other’s emotional pain as well. It wasn’t that much of a problem, really. It seemed like her soulmate was relatively happy and was good at taking care of herself. Occasionally Sayo would feel some small cuts on her fingers, which was a nuisance to her practice, but it was tolerable. Today however, the pain feels much too different from what Sayo is used to. It’s much more amplified than what Sayo had ever felt from her partner, and she can’t help but wonder what happened.

-

How did she let this happen? Why didn’t she notice sooner? Yukina had changed. Lisa knew this, she’s known for a while, but she didn’t want to believe it. She drapes her right arm across her eyes, propping herself up on her bed. Her back leans against the wall behind her, the physical divider between her and Yukina. It felt cold. The other girl’s voice rang through her thoughts.

“I am going to this festival… Future World Fes will see the power of my music.”

It’s being too loud.    
  
Lisa always took for granted that she would always be by Yukina’s side, but now.. It seemed like they were drifting further apart with each passing day. She lets her arm fall to her side, and takes a quick glance to the bass in the corner of her room, collecting dust. Tears brim her eyes and she wavers. Her heart feels like it’s sinking. Lisa can’t help but support Yukina no matter what, but she also can’t help but worry for her childhood friend. Right now, all Yukina cared about was reaching Future World Fes. Would it really make her father happy? And more importantly, was it really going to make her happy? A throbbing pain on her fingers shakes her out of her thoughts as she glances down at the now blistered tips. They disappear after a short while.

“Ah..”

  
There it was, that was the third time tonight. And once again that continuous dull pain begins residing in her chest, she somehow knows it doesn’t belong to her. Lisa frowns, her arm reaching for a pillow. She hugs it tightly and closes her eyes, sighing. She’s been feeling this for most of her life, ever since she started elementary. Yukina worried for her, her parents worried for her, but Lisa was worried about her soulmate more than herself. Why were they always hurting so much? Lisa felt so helpless being unable to communicate with her soulmate. She frowns, clenching the pillow tighter.   
  
“It’s okay. I promise I’ll find you, and when I do, I’ll help you.”

  
Lisa couldn’t focus much the next morning. She continues to take small glances out the window, which she really shouldn’t be doing while class is in session. Lunch came by a lot faster than she expected. However, out of the many things she was expecting today, an aqua-haired ball of energy barrelling towards her was not on the list.

  
“Lisachi! You don’t seem too zappin’ right now, what are you doing?” Hina gives Lisa a curious look.   
  
“Ah, don’t worry about it, Hina. It’s nothing!” she laughs it off like always. It’ll be okay, as long as she supports Yukina. But for some reason, her heart is still aching.

-

Sayo was very satisfied being in a band with Yukina. The girl has immense talent, and sings like no one she’s ever heard before. Sayo believes that together, the two can reach great heights.

So you can only imagine her surprise when  _ the _ Yukina Minato brings in not one, but two people into the studio on their rehearsal day. Sayo recognizes one of them as the drummer that was constantly asking to join the band, but the other one she can’t seem to recall. Though you would think Sayo would remember someone who stands out as much as this girl. Perfectly manicured long nails, and even longer brown hair.

“Minato-san, who are these people?”

“Hey! I’m Ako Udagawa, I’m here to audition for the band!”

“I’m sorry, Lisa just.. No, no. I told this girl that she may have a trial performance. I’m sorry to cut into our rehearsal time like this, Sayo.”

Sayo shakes her head, “Please don’t apologize, I trust your instincts. I’m just surprised.”

“I’m only going to judge based merely on performance. If she does not perform adequately, they both will be going home.” 

The brunette perks up, “Wait, what? Me too?”

“You are only here to watch Ako,” Yukina pauses to gesture towards the guitarist, “You’ve already met Sayo. Lisa, this isn’t like when we were young anymore.”

Sayo wants to nod in agreement, but she starts to feel this aching in her chest. Why now, of all times? She frowns and turns away, she can’t afford to show any weakness.

“Ah, y-yeah of course, haha. Sorry, I just got carried away with nostalgia and all.. I’ll leave once she’s done,” Lisa laughs. Sayo can’t understand why, but it feels hollow.

“Lisa-nee! I’m going to try my best and pass the audition, okay?”

“You can do it Ako!”

“Before we begin,” Sayo turns towards their vocalist, “Minato-san, we’re going to need a bassist if we want to fully assess the rhythm unit as one.”

“Yes, you’re right. Drums alone doesn’t give us enough to work with.”

The brunette raises her hand, and Sayo notices her smile falter for a split second, “Uh, maybe I can fill in? Just for now?”

Yukina raises her eyebrows, it seems like she wasn’t expecting this. Ako does a similar gesture, “You’re a bassist, Lisa-nee?!”

“Ahaha, I used to play a long time ago. You don’t have anyone else right? Give me a moment, I’ll go get a bass guitar!”

As promised, Lisa returns shortly after with a bass guitar in her possession.

“Minato-san, does Imai-san have any experience?”

The girl nods affirmatively, “Yes, she does. She should still be able to perform the basics.”

“The basics…” Sayo is doubtful as she observes the girl’s nails.

“Oh, yeah don’t worry about the nails! I don’t play fingerstyle anyway.”

Sayo lets out a sigh, “Yes, well, that guitar belongs to the studio,” she meets the girl’s gaze to emphasize her point, “Please don’t damage it with any strange styles. You can fill in for now.”

“Right, then let’s begin,” Yukina readies herself at the mic. 

As the girls begin to play, something changes in the room’s atmosphere. They all throw themselves into the song, and the melodious sounds ringing within the room seemingly unites them. Before they know it, the song is already over.

Many emotions were flickering through Sayo, but right now she felt unbridled happiness. Her eyes flicker to Yukina, then to the purple twin-tailed drummer Ako, and then to Yukina’s childhood friend, Lisa. Sayo realizes that she’s breathing heavily, and she can feel a bead of sweat rolling down from her forehead. 

She had her doubts at first. The smaller drummer was easily excitable as well as very loud. However, Sayo couldn’t deny her utter determination in joining the band, and now it seems like Yukina had made the right choice in allowing her to audition. She originally doubted the bassist as well, how could anyone play with those manicured nails? But it’s surprising how amazingly they had all play that one song.

  
“That was... amazing! It was only our first time, but I felt like I knew exactly what to do!” Ako launched herself from the seat, nearly toppling the drumset. Sayo would be reprimanding her, if she wasn’t so utterly baffled. Sayo hears another cheerful laugh and turns to see the brunette grinning from ear to ear. For some reason, Sayo feels her lips tug upwards slightly as well.

  
“Well, did she get in?” Lisa turned expectantly towards her and Yukina.   
  
“...Right, yes, I’m sorry. You passed. What do you think, Sayo?” the girl nodded and looked over to the other girl in question.

“I agree. It’s just that.. in that brief moment, we became a band in the very purest sense.” Sayo nods to herself, her brows furrowing. She feels something from this band, it’s different. It has potential to become something much more.   
  


“Woah, that’s like some sort of miracle!” Ako stares at her in wonder.

“Yeah, like magic!” Lisa exclaims.

  
Sayo nods, “I can’t say I disagree. Thank you, we have experienced something incredible today. Now then, we’re going to need to find a keyboardist and a bassist.”

Ako looks at her in brief confusion and points to the brunette, “Huh? But, Lisa-nee’s standing right there!”

  
“What?” Lisa turns around, her eyes wide, “No, no, I was just helping out!”

Yukina brings her hand to her chin, her eyes closing. She nods to herself, “Lisa does not yet have the skills to join the band. However, even though she may not have the technique, I can’t ignore the performance she put on today. I’m sure you can’t either, right Sayo?”

  
“I… yes, her performance for one song today was good.”

  
Ako raises her hands in the air, “Yay! Then let’s just start a band with all four of us!”

“Wait, what? I mean, what?!” Lisa turns to Yukina in disbelief.

Sayo would never admit it out loud, but perhaps for the first time ever she feels excited with the future of this band. She gets a good look at her other band members, and they all seem satisfied with this new arrangement. All of them except for Lisa. The girl is still smiling and laughing, but Sayo once again notices a slight change in her features. And Sayo is suddenly confused again, because despite having never met the girl before this, she knows it doesn’t feel right. Despite all of her excitement, she feels her heart continue to ache slightly.

  
Sayo doesn’t know why.

-

It was tough preparing for the band. Originally she was pressured into joining, but Lisa thinks that this may be the best outcome for her. If all Yukina cared about right now was music, then joining her band and playing along would be the best way to continue staying by her side. She wants to support Yukina as much as possible. If she needs to join the band, she will.

But Roselia’s progress as a band is actually going surprisingly well, compared to what Lisa was predicting. She sacrificed her nails for the sake of playing better for the band, but she doesn’t really feel any regret from it. The hardest part about being in Roselia were the band members themselves. Lisa thinks they’re great, she gets along with Rinko and Ako just fine, but Yukina and Sayo were tough cases to crack.

  
Yukina and Sayo were both practically identical. It was actually really unsettling how similar they were. However, Lisa prides herself on being able to make friends with almost anybody, so make friends she will. It’s hard making Sayo her friend though, she doesn’t talk about herself at all. She’s closed herself off entirely, but Lisa knows there’s more to her underneath all of the walls she put up.    
  
She recently found out that she had a sister. She should’ve recognized it earlier. Nearly identical faces, same colored hair, and the same last name. They were just so different that Lisa really didn’t think to connect the dots. It was strange to Lisa how Hina never really mentioned who exactly her sister was until Lisa joined Roselia. Sayo apparently doesn’t talk to Hina that much, if at all. Was there something going on between the two?    
  
Lisa briefly thinks that she should ask, but she decides it would be best not to. Roselia’s currently celebrating their first successful gig, after all. If Hina and Sayo were both this closed off about their relationship, there must be some sort of reason behind it. She doesn’t want to bring down the mood after all, not after they successfully convinced Yukina and Sayo to join them at a family restaurant. Speaking of which, those two were being eerily quiet sitting across from her, Ako, and Rinko.   
  
“Come on, Yukina, Sayo! We’re celebrating our first real show! Could you pleeease try talking a little more maybe~?” Lisa tries to put on her best puppy face, and it seems to work just a bit on Sayo. Yukina doesn’t seem to be affected.

“...I didn’t know you came to places like these, Minato-san.”

Yukina looks surprised and clears her throat, “...I actually don’t come to these places. I have no interest in them. Right now, all I want to talk about is music.”   
  


“I agree,” Sayo nods and looks towards Lisa, “That was a good performance today. I think you’ve gotten a lot better recently, Imai-san.”

“Ah! Th-thank you..”

Sayo offers her a barely noticeable smile, and Lisa finds that so endearing. For some reason, her heartbeat begins to increase. It feels like her face is heating up, and she hopes it’s just her imagination. If Sayo noticed, she didn’t show it at all. 

“It’s true. This whole band has improved drastically, and in such a short time too. This goes for you as well, Ako, Rinko.”

“Thanks! I’ll keep trying my best! Oh man, we’re so cool, right Rin-rin?” Ako grins and looks over to her side.

Rinko smiles back, “Y-yes. We’re very cool, Ako-chan.”

“Then I suppose it is time to inform you all about our true goal,” Yukina looks over towards Sayo for confirmation.

“I believe you are correct. It is the reason we started this band, after all. So it is about time we all get on the same page.”

Lisa tunes out for the rest of the conversation. She’s aware they’re probably talking about the criteria of getting into Future World Fes. She knows them already, she researched them beforehand to see just what Yukina was getting herself into. She feels herself drifting, but she briefly picks up on someone’s voice. It’s soothing and calm, but it doesn’t belong to Yukina.

She feels happy being with these people.

-

It’s been about a week since Roselia’s conversation at the family restaurant. Yukina and Sayo both stated clearly what they wanted, and how exactly they were going to do it. Everyone knows exactly what they’re aiming for.

However, the way they’re spending their time right now is most definitely not practice. Truthfully, it was Lisa and Ako who suggested they took a break, but honestly Sayo saw no point.

“Minato-san, why are we wasting this time instead of practicing?”

Yukina shakes her head, “I don’t see the point either. However, we need the others to be at peak performance. If a half hour break is necessary, then we shall take one.”

“I suppose you are right,” Sayo feels a hand loop around her shoulder and she jumped in surprise, “Imai-san?!”

“Ahah, why are you two both so serious~? Come on, it’s break time, why don’t you join us? Ako has some real fun stories!”

“Lisa, we never had any interest in a break in the first place. This was your idea, we don’t have to participate in it.”

“Ah, I guess you’re right,” the girl lets go of Sayo, much to her relief. She lets out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Please don’t mind Lisa,” Yukina looked at the guitarist apologetically. 

“No, it’s.. quite alright.” 

This was very problematic, and Sayo wasn’t sure how to feel about it. She finds herself stealing quick glances at the brunette, but she isn’t even sure why. Sayo can’t deny her looks, but the girl seems to put a lot of effort into making herself look even better than she already does. 

She still doesn’t like how they’re not spending all their free time practicing.

Even then, she has to admit that the band has been making significant progress. Lisa in particular has probably had the most improvement. Cutting her nails had been the right choice, but it was sort of unsettling seeing her come back with them jagged. It must’ve taken a lot of effort to make them look pretty.

Something was changing within Sayo, and she hadn’t noticed it until now. She feels alive when she plays with this band. When she comes to rehearsal, she actually feels  _ excited. _ It was such a different sensation, but it warmed her heart, ‘ _ This band really is special, after all…’  _ Sayo tells herself inwardly. But even after all of this, there’s always a certain nagging in the back of her mind. 

She was scared all over again. How many times has she joined a band? How many times has she tried to reach the very top of their genre? How many times has she failed? How long until everyone here leaves her, too?

_ ‘How long until she proves herself better than me again?’ _

But her fears don’t have any grounds to them. Everyday she comes to rehearsal, and everyday they greet her all the same. It’s a nice sensation that Sayo hasn’t felt in such a long time.

And then there was Lisa, who seemed like a nuisance at first. She constantly badgered her, urging her to try her cookies or join in on their conversations. Sayo didn’t understand in the beginning, if she wanted to make friends she didn’t need to be in a band. But slowly, Sayo gives in. They were  _ friends. _

The thought of giving up this warmth hurts, more than she thought it would. She hears a hushed whisper nearby and turns to see Lisa clutching her chest, “Please wait for me…”

“Imai-san? Are you alright?” Sayo inquired, reaching out a hand towards the girl.

“Ah! Sayo, I’m fine, don’t worry! Hey would you look at the time, shouldn’t break be over soon~?” Lisa gives her a bright smile and picks up her guitar, “You should try smiling more, Sayo.”

Sayo flusters, but before she says anything the other girl walks away from her.

For whatever reason, she feels a little disappointed.

-

At home, Lisa’s routine changed drastically. She studies a lot harder now, and she makes sure to finish her homework as soon as possible. She practices bass the instant she finishes her homework. She can’t afford to fall behind the others, she doesn’t want to be even more of a burden to Roselia.

And that’s when she realizes that she isn’t doing all of this for just Yukina anymore. Playing for Roselia is just so fun, she hasn’t felt this in years after she dropped music. She feels so content when she sees the members of Roselia everyday. Of course rehearsal is tough, and it’s a lot of hard work, but it’s worth it. All of it is worth it, because everyone in Roselia is working just as hard to reach their dreams, and who is she to complain when she has the most work to do in order to catch up?

‘ _ Music, huh? It’s a great thing isn’t it…’ _

Ako is always so lively, and she genuinely loves playing the drums. Everytime Lisa sees her play, she just gets even more pumped. Lisa always follows along so easily to the rhythm that Ako sets. At this point it’s almost second nature, but it’s an incredible feeling.

Rinko is reserved and quiet, but she’s very talented. At first it was difficult to get her to speak, but Lisa soon found out that once you get her started on talking about games, nothing can stop her except for Yukina and Sayo. She and Ako get along very well too, probably because they were good friends beforehand.

Yukina is the same. Immensely talented, and a solid leader. But sometimes she can catch Yukina letting her guard down. Sometimes she gives Sayo, or even Lisa, a microscopic smile. You’d have to pay close attention to catch it. And that puts Lisa at ease, because Yukina is having fun. She’s enjoying this band, and that’s all Lisa could ask for.

Sayo is a bit of an enigma. At first she came off as condescending, but Lisa slowly begins to understand more about her. Hina had told her very little, but it was just enough for her to piece the puzzle together. Sayo was wrapped up in her own self-hatred, and was unbelievably hard on herself. She blames things on herself more than anyone, and the smallest mistakes are enough to cause her to dip her head in shame. The sadness in her eyes when she messes up a chord, the silent curse under her breath when she begins a guitar riff a split second too late.

But everyone is a lot more open now. They’re smiling more, laughing more. Even Rinko is making an effort to communicate with everyone. And sometimes when Ako or Lisa show Sayo a video about puppies, her face softens and she smiles. She lets a small giggle slip once or twice, and that makes Lisa melt. Her heart picks up in speed and she can’t help but start clinging to Sayo, despite her many protests. 

Lisa decides that Roselia is worth it. It’s worth every inch of effort she put into it, and it’s what the other members deserve.

“Ouch,” there’s a sting on her hand and she raises it in curiosity. She finds a cut on her middle finger and sighs, “Oops, I guess I accidentally cut it on the strings.. I’ll just-”

Lisa watches as the cut slowly fades away. It wasn’t hers. She sighs, “Just what kind of job do you have?”

The next day at rehearsal, Lisa comes a little bit earlier. She decided to bring cookies this time, and finds Sayo and Yukina conversing in the studio already.

“Lisa. You’re earlier today.”

“Ah yeah~, I couldn’t sleep you know?”

“I heard you practicing last night. Good work, please pace yourself though,” Lisa nods and for a split second she swore she saw that same smile.

“Okay~! Oh, but I brought cookies for everyone today,” she digs into her bag and finds multiple small plastic bags, each with a colored ribbon tied onto them. She takes out the purple one and hands it to Yukina. The vocalist stares at the cat shaped cookies for a moment before reaching out and gingerly accepting the bag with a small nod.

“Sayo~, I have one for you too!”

“Eh?” she looks up, and a hint of red covers her face. 

_ ‘That’s weird, is she sick?’ _

Lisa holds up the guitarist’s bag, and this time she added a secret weapon, dog shaped biscuits. She had her suspicions on Sayo’s animal preference from all the puppy videos, but she recently had gotten confirmation from Hina. She grins as she catches the soft smile on Sayo’s face, and she feels like giving herself a pat on the back.

“Imai-san… thank you, I’m grateful,” she reaches out to accept the bag, and their hands brush for just a moment. That was enough for Lisa’s poor, weak heart. But something catches her eyes. They widen as she notices the small bandage on Sayo’s left hand. It was wrapped delicately around her middle finger.

_ ‘There’s no way. It can’t be.’ _

“Uh, y-yeah, sure,” she watches as Sayo turns back to tuning her guitar.

_ ‘It’s just a coincidence.’ _

Lisa’s gaze finds itself on Sayo’s hands, and it roams upwards. Lisa never realized it before, but Sayo is  _ beautiful.  _ The way her hair perfectly frames her face, and her alluring green orbs that are the source of her piercing gaze. The way she can casually look so good while just tuning her guitar is enough to make any girl jealous.

A whisper unwillingly leaves Lisa’s lips, “You’re the one…”

-

Sayo isn’t sure why, but it seemed like Lisa was constantly looking at her recently. Does she look weird? Yukina and the others don’t really seem to have a different reaction.

_ ‘I must’ve done something wrong. I should ask Imai-san later.’ _

Practice goes on like usual, they’ve continued to improve at a steady pace. Sayo feels confident, and everyone seems to share the sentiment. Things are going as they normally do, until Sayo catches Lisa gazing at her again. They’re playing their first song, ‘ _ Black Shout’ _ , and Lisa’s solo is fast approaching. The brunette’s eyes seem to be searching for Sayo’s.

_ ‘Is she looking for approval? Shouldn’t she be looking at Minato-san?’ _

Sayo decides not to question it further and gives Lisa a small smile and a swift nod. The bassist quickly looks away, and a slight disappointment slithers its way into Sayo’s heart. They finish their last song without any further anomalies.

“Good work today, everyone. Please clean up after yourselves,” Yukina addresses the band with a curt nod, “Make sure to keep it up tomorrow as well.”

“Got it, Yukina-san!” Ako raises her thumb and extends it towards the group in affirmation. The vocalist turns and leaves the room, the door clicking quietly behind her.

Sayo approaches Lisa, who seems to be too busy putting away her bass to notice Sayo there. She raises a finger and gently taps the brunette on the shoulder, the latter spinning around at an alarming rate, “Imai-san? May I speak to you?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah, sure! What do you need, Sayo?” Lisa lets out a nervous laugh and scratches her chin.

_ ‘That’s… strange.’ _

“Did I do anything to offend you, Imai-san? You’ve been looking at me more often during band practice. I do not wish for our relationship to turn sour, please inform me if I did anything wrong.”

She doesn’t miss the way Lisa’s face goes bright red. She flails her arms in the air and splutters, “H-Huh?! You noticed that?!”

Sayo tilts her head in confusion, “Of course I would notice, Imai-san. You stare at me everyday.”

Lisa covers her face with her hands and drags them down, “Oh my God, I’m so embarrassed,” she mumbled to herself before perking up shortly after, “Don’t worry Sayo! You didn’t do anything wrong, haha~!”

“Are you sure? Why do you keep looking at me, then? Please do tell me if I-”

“You worry too much, Sayo! You’re gonna get gray hairs like that!”

Lisa reaches upwards and takes a lock of her hair. Her face is a lot closer now. Sayo feels a strange warmth begin creeping up her chest, and she finds herself staring into Lisa’s eyes. Her heart begins to beat faster, and she’s unsure of the cause.

“You really do look beautiful, you know…”

“U-um, Imai-san?” 

Lisa’s eyes widen in recognition as she quickly backs away, “Ahh, sorry about that Sayo! That was probably weird, huh~? Well, I’ll see you around!”

Lisa dashes out the room, her face being practically the same color as Ako’s eyes, leaving Sayo to stare at the door after her. Somewhere behind her, she hears said drummer’s quiet snickering, but she doesn’t care enough to ask what she’s laughing at.

She feels discontented now that the warmth is gone.

-

Lisa keeps running until her lungs are burning. She drifts to a stop at her front door and swung it open. She shuts it behind her in a hurry and sprints upstairs. She locks the door to her room and carefully places her bass down before collapsing. Her back drifts against the cold wood as she finally manages to sit down and catch her breath.

‘ _ Why did I do that? Why did I think that was a good idea?!’ _

She decides the best thing to do now is to bury her hands in her face in utter embarrassment. She swings her head backwards and grunts at the impact, “Why the hell did I get a soulmate so dense?!”

She heaves a sigh, “No, calm down Lisa. There’s no guaranteeing that she’s my soulmate, it could all just be a really well-timed coincidence, that’s all!”

Lisa places the back of her hand on her forehead, and feels her cheeks using her other hand. They’re burning, and this time Lisa’s pretty sure it isn’t her imagination. She groans and her eyelids shut themselves, immersing her in darkness.

She needs more time to think about this, but Future World Fes is coming up soon. She can’t afford to miss even more practice time. With a final shaky sigh, she drags herself up and towards her desk. She should finish her homework already.

Her phone vibrates from inside her bag and she pulls it out. Lisa’s screen illuminates itself and she reads the text.

_ From: Hikawa Sayo _

_ ‘Imai-san, please take care of yourself. Your face was quite red today, and we don’t need you getting sick before Future World Fes. Let me know if you need anything from me, and I will try my best to assist you. Please make sure you don’t have any serious fever.’ _

Lisa buries her face into her hands again, “That’s just unfair, Sayo…”

-

Sayo is concerned.

For the first time in a while, she isn’t practicing any particular song. Her brows are furrowed and she continues to idly pluck at her guitar strings.

She had texted Lisa earlier to check in and see if the other girl was doing okay. It was only because she was concerned that her condition would affect their performance for Future World Fes, nothing more.

_ ‘No, that’s wrong.’ _

Sayo knows that she’s worried for the bassist’s well-being, not only as a bandmate but as a friend. The word was still foreign to her, but she had taken a liking to it. It felt nice to finally admit that for once, she does have friends. There are people that are willing to talk to her, to play music with her, to  _ listen _ to her advice and what she had to say. It was a strange, but welcoming excitement. Her heart felt free, with the only anchor dragging it down being this dull pain in her heart that didn’t belong to her, and Sayo frowned.

That was strange.

Her soulmate hasn’t ever been this emotionally bothered for this long. It seemed like they were quite adept at getting themselves back up on their feet. Sayo leans backwards and props her head against the wall, her guitar still in her hands, “If only there was a way to talk to you…”

Sayo’s phone vibrates beside her and she hastily reaches over, somewhat in anticipation that it’s Lisa responding to her.

_ From: Imai Lisa _

_ ‘Aww, are you worried about me, Sayo~? You’re so sweet! Thank you for checking in on me though, I’m feeling just fine! I’ll make sure to be in tip-top shape for Future World Fes, so don’t sweat it! (＾ω＾)ノ♡’ _

Sayo feels her face heat up and her phone fumbles in her hands.

_ ‘What is happening?’ _

She pushes herself gently from the bed and sets her phone down on the table. Sayo carefully places her guitar back onto its stand and flicks the light switch, her room going dim. She returns to her bed and settles in. As her mind drifts to sleep, she finds herself thinking about a certain bassist.

The next morning, Sayo finds herself browsing entering Edogawa Music, earning herself a cheerful greeting from the clerk.

“Hello, Sayo-chan! Your show the other day was fantastic, have you seen the article they wrote about it?”

“Yes, there were a lot of photographers at the event…”

Sayo feels a sense of pride. Their band did perform quite well, and knowing that they’ve only improved since then gives Sayo confidence. She smiles at the clerk before something catches her attention.

She freezes.

“Sayo-chan? Are you alright?”

“This poster…”

“Oh, them? They’re kind of a new…group? They’re not quite idols, but they’re not quite a band either. They recently made their debut! Hey, doesn’t their guitarist look like you, Sayo-chan?”

Sayo feels her blood running cold and her heart is caught in her throat. She lets out a croak, “I-I need to go, I have rehearsals!”

“Sayo-chan?!”

Sayo doesn’t turn back. She keeps running.

-

Lisa takes a bit more time walking to the studio for rehearsals. It was a Sunday, so they started a bit earlier than normal due to school not being in the way. Usually Lisa feels excited to meet the members and begin practice, but today there was a strange feeling gnawing at the back of her head. 

Entering the studio, she’s struck with a tense feeling. She looks over to the two people currently in the room, Sayo and Yukina. They’re both on edge, but only Sayo seems to be frowning.

“Uh, hey guys! Good morning~!”

“Lisa. Good morning.”

“Good morning, Imai-san.”

Practice starts as soon as Ako and Rinko arrive, but it feels different. Is it just her? They’re playing normally, just like always, but something is off. Sayo’s playing is still really good, but it doesn’t seem as precise as you’d normally expect from the guitarist. Lisa frowns, everyone else is doing just fine.

An abrupt pain disperses across Lisa’s chest and she gags, her fingers fumbling mid-song.

“Lisa-nee? Are you okay?” Ako gives her a worried glance before turning towards the others, “Hey, haven’t we practiced enough? Should we take a break?”

“Future World Fes is coming up soon. We can’t afford to act like this Udagawa-san,” Sayo answered flatly, “If you are not feeling well, Imai-san, then maybe you should return home for the time being.”

Lisa flinches, and all of a sudden all eyes are on her. Her heart sinks, and she feels the metallic strings dig into her palm as she clenches her guitar. She releases a shaky breath, “You’re right, sorry. I was just a bit distracted… it won’t happen again.”

“But still! Look at your finger, Sayo-san, it’s injured! If we keep pushing too hard, then we won’t be able to play at all!”

“Ako brings up a good point. Sayo, we need you in top condition, the Future World Fes audition requires us at our best.”

“...I suppose you are correct, Minato-san. Then, shall we take a 30 minute break?”

Another burst of pain erupts from her chest, and Lisa nearly drops her guitar. Rinko approaches her and places a hand on her shoulder, “Imai-san… are you… okay?”

“Yeah, just… give me a moment, I’ll be fine! So, anyway, what was that game you guys were telling me about the other day?”

Ako perks up and runs over to Rinko’s side, “Oh, NFO! It’s the coolest game ever, and Rin-rin was being super cool yesterday!”

The drummer starts rattling on at high speeds about their previous ‘raid-boss,’ as she calls it. Lisa registers some of it, however she can’t help but take a glimpse at Sayo. Her pain has mostly subsided at this point, but Sayo had been especially uptight today. She notices that the girl is still frowning.

Lisa had to admit, Sayo’s statement hurt her, just a little. She’s aware that she’s the most inexperienced in the band, and Lisa sometimes wonders why they bother keeping her around.

“...And then, and then, Rin-rin totally saved me from their next attack! She’s just so cool, in-game and out!” Ako excitedly exclaims, and she makes grand gestures in the keyboardist’s direction.

Lisa laughs, “Haha! And you sound just as reckless in-game as out too~!”

“A-Ako-chan has… someone else to protect her… Her sister…”

That was someone Lisa recognized. She jumps and nearly yelps as she feels a sting on her left palm and raises it to see nail marks.

_ ‘Oh my God.’ _

She quickly shoots her head towards the two and gives a shaky grin, her voice begins to falter, “Ah, Tomoe! She’s a friend of mine. You know her too, huh Rinko? Now she really is a cool girl!”

“Sis plays the drums like… like ‘Bo-boom! Bang, crash!”

“Ahh, you always use those same sounds, don’t you?” Lisa grins, and out of the corner of her eye she notices Sayo and Yukina whispering to each other. Lisa notices her chest begin to ache. She turns back to Ako, “Oh yeah, you guys still took baths together up until recently right?”

Rinko’s eyes widen noticeably, “Really…?!”

“Hmm, yeah! Of course we did! It’s not that weird. You guys just don’t get it cause you don’t have a bigger sister. It’s like having your own idol, who’s just the coolest person in the world to you!”

The pain starts to build even more, but Lisa smiles through it anyway, “Now hold on a second, what happened to Yukina being the coolest in the word?”

_ ‘Sayo, what is happening?’ _

Ako shrugs, “Well actually, my sister is the single coolest person in the world, but Yukina-san is really, really super cool too-”

“Shut up! All of you!” 

Everyone turns towards the guitarist, and even Yukina visibly recoils. Sayo bristles even further, “All of you, sister this, sister that! Enough! You have no idea… no idea how much pressure there is being an older sister!”

Lisa clutches at her chest, the aching is paramount. Sayo tosses her hands in the air and then grasps her head, seething, “Always copying and copying and copying! Can’t you ever think for yourselves?! If you just copy your sister all of the time, who even are you?!”

“Sayo… are you… talking about Hina…?” Lisa manages to choke out the query and grimaces.

“Sayo-san… I’m sorry, and you even told me…” Ako withers and she looks like she’s about to cry.

Recovering from the initial surprise, Yukina steps forward, “I don’t know what has happened, but you cannot bring your personal feelings into this band,” Yukina folds her arms and turns to the guitarist, “Sayo, you chastised Lisa earlier but even you weren’t focused at all in rehearsals today. I think you should go home.” 

“I… yes, I suppose I have nothing left to say to that. Sorry for causing a scene, I’m going.”

Sayo packs her guitar and swings the case over her shoulder. She turns away from the group and exits, the door creaks in the otherwise quiet room.

“I said something horrible to Sayo-san… What should I do, Lisa-nee? Rin-rin?” 

Lisa sighs, “Sayo has a twin sister, Hina Hikawa… You may have heard of her Ako, she goes to our school.”

Ako nods, “Mhm! Everyone knows her, she tops every test…”

Yukina faces the remaining band members, “Break is over. If you want to continue talking about this, you are free to leave.”

“Ah, okay…” Lisa prepares to play, and then she stops.

_ ‘No. This isn’t right.’ _

“Lisa?” Yukina eyes her curiously.

_ ‘She’s my soulmate. She needs help.’ _

“I…” Lisa holds her head with her right hand and grits her teeth.

_ ‘I’m sorry, Yukina.’ _

“I need to go,” she takes off her bass and hands it to a bewildered Ako, “Return it to me at school tomorrow! I need to catch her!”

Yukina twirls her head towards the bassist, “Lisa what are you-”

“I made a promise! I need to keep it!” Lisa bursts out of the rehearsal room and she runs. She doesn’t know where to, but she continues running. She doesn’t stop when Marina gives out a surprised gasp. She doesn’t stop when Ako asks her where she’s going.

‘ _ I’m coming, Sayo. Please wait for me!’ _

-

“Ah. It’s raining.”

The droplets fly past her face as she sits on a bench underneath a cover. Next to the bench was a small vending machine with the usual drinks. The only sounds that accompany her are the patter of raindrops hitting the ground, and the faint mechanical humming. She closes her eyes and leaned her back against the wall, which had apparently become one of her favorite pastimes as of late.

_ ‘What am I doing?’ _

Truthfully, she didn’t necessarily have any particular goal during that outburst. It was just that, an emotional outburst. She was just acting petty, that’s all. The others have probably done a few songs by now, she can’t afford to fall behind. She’ll wait for the rain to subside, walk home, and practice guitar.

_ ‘She can’t be better than me.’ _

Sayo buries her face in her hands. This is ludicrous. She feels an added weight on the bench beside her. Who could still be out at this hour? She groans inwardly and turns to identify her new acquaintance.

For the second time that day, she freezes.

There before her sat no other than Imai Lisa, completely soaked by the rain. She recoils, “I-Imai-san?! What are you doing?!”

“Ahh~ I finally found you, Sayo! Man, I thought you would’ve already gone home. Oh hey, your guitar is fine right?” She tilts her head and gives a soft smile.

“...Yes, my guitar is fine, but what about you? You’re going to be sick like this. Surely you remember what I told you about illnesses…” Sayo digs through her bag and takes out a small towel, “Here, this should do for now.”

Almost instinctively she reaches upwards and drapes the towel over the other girl’s head. Lisa watches curiously as Sayo begins to work on drying her hair. Sayo’s eyes flicker downwards and she notices the bassist fidget with the hem of her skirt, her gaze drifting to the side.

“Hey, Sayo, what are you doing?”

“Im drying your hair.”

“Well y-yeah, but don’t you think I can do it myself?”

“O-Oh. Right. My apologies,” Sayo slowly lets go of the towel and scoots backwards.

Lisa begins to shuffle the towel around, “So hey, why do you have this in the first place?”

“Ah, I’m apart of the archery club. Normally it isn’t too exerting, but I bring it just in case,” she reaches up and twists a lock of hair. Lisa doesn’t seem to notice.

“Oh, really? That’s super cool, Sayo!”

“It’s really nothing…”

“Well, I think it’s fitting for you.”

Sayo didn’t exactly know what Lisa meant by that, but she decides not to question it. They sit in a comfortable silence for a few moments.

_ ‘How odd. This is the most relaxed I’ve been…’ _

A small giggle escapes from the girl beside her. She turns to see Lisa smiling at her again. Sayo feels her face heating up, and that strange familiar warmth once again begins to creep into her heart. She coughs into her fist and looks away, “What’s so funny, Imai-san?”

The girl shuffles closer to her, and Sayo feels her heart about to explode. Lisa places two thumbs on each of her eyebrows and runs them along, gently creasing. The bassist lets go after a while, “You were looking really scary, Sayo. Didn’t I tell you to smile more?”

“Ah, yes, I suppose you did…”

“So, do you want to talk about it? You know, what’s bothering you.”

“What do you mean?”

“...You’re worried about Hina, right? Or, I guess maybe you’re angry at her?”

Ah, this was the question Sayo was dreading. She sighs, “I… well, I guess that’s one way to say it.”

Sayo notices that Lisa has stopped shuffling the towel. She shakes her head, “For the longest time… Hina has always been better than me. At everything,” she drags a hand roughly through her hair and it drops back into her lap, “When I found guitar, when I found music… I was happy. For once, I was good at something that Hina wasn’t.”

Lisa gently places a hand on hers. She’s listening. Sayo takes a moment to breathe, “I guess that didn’t last very long. Today I saw a poster of a new group. Pastel Palettes, I believe is what they are called,” she pauses in case Lisa wanted to react. She doesn’t.

“Hina is their guitarist. Guitar had been my everything, it was the only thing I had… and now she’s taking it away from me as well. I don’t know what I have anymore.”

“Hey now… I’m right here, and you have us, you know? Roselia’s here for you, Sayo. You’re not alone anymore.”

Lisa takes a moment to continue, “In fact, I don’t think Hina really took guitar from you. Have you heard yourself play? You sound amazing, Sayo! I’m the one who has a lot to do.”

Lisa must be referring to what Sayo told her today during practice. Sayo winces, “I’m sorry. For what I said today. I didn’t mean it, I’m pathetic...”

_ ‘There you go again, Sayo. Putting others down despite your own incompetence.’ _

“Hey, back to me~, stop getting lost in your own thoughts when I’m trying to talk to you!” Lisa grabs both of Sayo’s shoulders and spins her so they’re facing each other, “Is that what you think of yourself, Sayo? Because Imai Lisa is going to have to say no to those thoughts!”

_ ‘Why? Why is she being… so nice to me?’ _

“I… why do you care so much, Imai-san? Even after what I said to you!”

Tears threaten to spill from Sayo’s eyes. She feels a pair of arms wrap around her, pulling her in. She nestles her head in the crook of Lisa’s neck, closing her eyes. A hand reaches up and strokes her hair.

“I’m your friend, Sayo~! I care about you, and I bet the others do too. In fact, Ako’s probably trying to write down how to apologize to you next rehearsal.”

Sayo grasps the bassist’s shoulders, “How do I know that you all won’t leave me? Playing in this band has… it’s been so fun, I…”

“Come on Sayo, seriously? We won’t leave you. At the very least, I know I definitely won’t,” Lisa tenses for a moment, “You know… I originally joined the band because I wanted to stay by Yukina’s side. But like you said, being in this band has been so fun…”

Sayo feels Lisa’s grip tighten on her, “You’re part of the reason why. You’re a member of the band you know, Roselia’s guitarist. But even more than that… you’re someone I really care about. We’ll get through this together… I promise.”

And that was what opened the floodgates. For once, a reassurance that she won’t be alone. Sayo lets out an unceremonious sob, and the tears begin to flood down her cheeks. She hears the bassist shushing her, but she’s not quite sure if it helps in this situation. Sayo feels a stinging pain on her shoulders, but she doesn’t care to check. She curls into herself further and clings onto Lisa almost obsessively. 

Lisa never moves away.

After a while of embarrassing crying, the rain had finally stopped. Lisa had been mostly dried off by now. Sayo feels like she’s lost just a bit of her dignity.

“Hey Sayo, wanna talk more about this at the restaurant? We really should get inside!”

“Who was the one that ran in the rain to come find me? Besides, I told you I am not interested in those places, Imai-san.”

“Oh come on, don’t be like that! I’ll buy you a basket of fries~!”

“...Very well then.”

Lisa tenderly grabs a hold of her hand and she finds herself easing up. As she lifts herself from the bench, the brunette turns around and a soft smile graced her lips.

“Hey, I’m really glad I caught up to you!”

“I am… happy as well.”

Sayo lets herself be dragged along and she feels her own lips curl upwards slightly. She doesn’t mind this comforting warmth in her chest.

But something was off. Sayo can feel her grip on Lisa’s hand stiffen. Her eyes trace from the back of Lisa’s head and down to her shoulders, where she catches a glimpse of red nail marks. The realization hits her then.

_ ‘She is… my soulmate?’ _

-

Lisa watches as Sayo casually plucks a fry from her basket. She really can’t take Sayo’s face seriously when she’s munching on a fried potato stick inches from her. Lisa snickers and receives a glare from her companion.

“What’s so funny, Imai-san?”

“Aha, well, when I told you to smile more, it doesn’t just apply to rehearsals, Sayo!”

Sayo pouts, and if that isn’t the cutest thing ever Lisa doesn’t know what is. Sayo lets out a sigh, “You keep saying that. Why do you keep saying that?” the other girl picks up another fry and waves it around to emphasize her point, “I believe I look just fine, Imai-san.”

_ ‘Well, she’s not wrong.’ _

Lisa shakes her head, “Okay, okay, fine~.”

“I’m glad we have reached an agreement. Now what did you want to talk about?”

  
  



	2. can you hear me singing to your heart?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> at last they unite

“Are you insane? Do you realize just how impossible of a task this is? It’s like asking for a miracle,” Sayo huffs, folding her arms.

“Exactly, Sayo! You’re gonna be making a miracle!” Lisa grin is impossibly large, “I know you can do it. You’re amazing, after all!”

Sayo doesn’t know whether or not she should find the constant compliments irritating. She wraps a strand of hair around her finger and averts her eyes. Lisa’s steady gaze is overwhelming, it feels like there’s suddenly too much pressure on her.

Lisa slowly leans backwards, “Ah well, if you can’t do it then I suppose I can’t force you to…”

Sayo bristles in response, “Excuse you, who said I couldn’t talk to my own sister?”

Lisa takes a sip from her drink and raises an eyebrow.

“...Point taken.”

Lisa sighs, “You’re so hopeless…” 

Sayo flinches at this remark. Lisa, attentive as always, notices this. She reaches over and places a hand over Sayo’s, a familiar sensation. Lisa gives her hand a gentle squeeze, “Hey, come on… I didn’t mean it like that, okay? You’re awesome, Sayo. Trust me on this one.”

“I know, I suppose that I’m just being a… uh,” Sayo pauses in order to ponder, what was that expression that Lisa liked to use again?

“Stick in the mud. You’re being a stick in the mud.”

“Yes, that…” Sayo scratches her head, “Fine. I’ll… attempt to repair things with my sister.”

Lisa frowns, “Don’t force yourself to go too fast, Sayo. I know it might be hard after what you’ve gone through, but remember what I told you.”

“Right...”

“Don’t treat her admiration with hostility, Sayo. But give me a call or something if you run into trouble. I’m serious about this, okay? I’ll be here if you ever need me.”

“There is… one thing… do you know what activities Hina might enjoy?”

Lisa blinks for a few moments, “Ah. I didn’t think it was this bad.”

“Imai-san, I’m being serious!”

“I’m sorry, I was just surprised!” Lisa giggles, and Sayo’s face suddenly flares with heat. The other girl continued, “Well, for starters maybe you could… actually, Hina’s in the astronomy club!”

“You’re suggesting I take her stargazing? But I know nothing about that!”

“Well, Sayo you’re a super smart girl so I’m sure you’ll figure it out!”

“Fine… I guess I don’t have too much homework tonight. I’ll do some research on stargazing.” 

“It’s settled then! You’re gonna take Hina stargazing, and you both are gonna love it!”

“Loving it would be a bit of a stretch,” Sayo stands up while grabbing her bag and instrument, “But I do hope it will be an enjoyable experience at the very least.”

“Good luck, Sayo! I’ll be rooting for you!”

“Thank you, Imai-san.” Sayo feels her lips curve upward, “I’m truly grateful that you’re here.”

“A-Ah, of course! That’s what friends are for, right?” Lisa lets out a small laugh.

Sayo steps out of the restaurant and embraces the cool night air. She checks her phone and cringes, it’s nearly ten in the evening. That’s not good, she didn’t expect to be out for that long. There’s too many things clouding her mind at this point for her to cram in any further studying. Sayo drags a hand through her hair as she begins to make her way home, _ ‘Good grief…’ _

There was one main question that had been weighing on her mind the entire time. Was Imai Lisa really her soulmate, or was it just a mere coincidence? Sayo could never be too sure. She grimaced, “Surely that couldn’t be the case… the evidence is far too trivial,” the guitarist scoffed, “No, it couldn’t be. There’s no reason that Imai-san’s soulmate would be someone like me anyway.”

Compared to the brunette, Sayo was far too stiff and uptight. The girl was kind and selfless, anybody could see that much; but what did Sayo have to offer? She was a failure, and no amount of hiding could change that. Before she could go on with her doubts, the image of a rain soaked girl appeared in her head, _ ‘You’re a member of the band you know, Roselia’s guitarist. But even more than that… you’re someone I really care about.’ _

Sayo laughs, “Imai-san is really amazing… I wonder how she managed to break down my defenses so easily.”

“Ah! Onee-chan!”

Sayo jolts back to reality, and she quickly realizes that she’s standing in front of her house. Furthermore, standing right in front of her was her sister. She coughs and glances away, “Hina… what are you doing out here?”

“It’s super late! You’re never out this late, so I was worried sick!”  
  
“Hina, you don’t have to…” Sayo stops herself before she became bitter again. Instead, she holds back a frown, “Thank you for worrying about me, however I assure you that I can take care of myself.”

“Onee-chan, are you feeling okay? You’re acting kinda weird...” Hina reaches up to feel Sayo’s forehead, and it takes everything within her to stop herself from swatting the hand away.

“I’m feeling fine, Hina. Now could we move inside? There’s… something that I would like to discuss with you.”

“Oh, yeah sure!”

Sayo steps into the house and places her possessions down next to the couch as Hina closes the door behind them. She clears her throat, “So um… Hina, I was wondering if you… knew any good places to go stargazing.”

Hina’s eyes light up, “I know a bunch of good places for stargazing, Onee-chan!”

“I see,” Sayo tenses, “Then… if you wouldn’t mind, maybe we can go stargazing together soon?”

“Really? Do you mean it?” Hina looks at her with questioning eyes, and Sayo offers a curt nod. She barely has any time to brace herself before her sister practically tackles her, “That sounds suuuper boppin’! Of course I’d go! I’ll teach you everything about astronomy!"

“Right, let’s not get carried away now…” Sayo gently reciprocates the hug, the feeling is still foreign to her. The two separated and Sayo watches as Hina bounces her way up the stairs, singing a tune about how she was going to spend time with her sister. Sayo felt a tinge of guilt. All she did was simply ask if Hina wanted to spend time with her, and the other girl literally jumped at the opportunity. Sayo shakes her head, _ ‘Just how long have I done this?’ _

Maybe it really is about time for Sayo to re-evaluate herself. 

-

Lisa bluntly lands face first on her bed, groaning as she does so. She grabs a pillow and hugged it, kicking her feet excitedly. She rolls around for a few seconds before contently laying on her back, “She’s too cute… this shouldn’t be possible.”

At first Lisa was definitely concerned that Sayo would push her away, so she was caught off guard by how open the other girl was with her. “Maybe she likes me!” Lisa thinks, before frowning, “Orr maybe I just caught her in a moment of weakness…”

That was also another issue. At this point, Lisa knows with certainty that Sayo is her soulmate. From the sharp pains during practice to the unbearable heartache while the girl was crying. The girl looked so vulnerable, it took incredible restraint on Lisa’s end not to just kiss her right there.

“What the hell am I thinking?” Lisa quickly covers her burning face. Of course, kissing Sayo would be nice, but she has no idea if the strict guitarist would ever even consider anything close to having a crush. “I could just tell her we’re soulmates but… that’d be unfair.”

Lisa can’t just… _tell_ _her_, it isn’t that simple. Ever since she was young, everybody, excluding Yukina, was so eager to find their soulmate. Lisa was the same; but she began to change. She needed to give it time, her soulmate is human after all. They need to bond first before starting any kind of relationship.

Lisa groans, “God, why is love so complicated?”

The girl turns her head towards the veranda. She slowly gets up and draws back the curtains, Yukina’s light isn’t on. _ ‘Well, I guess she’s asleep. It is kinda late after all…’ _

Lisa did feel a little guilty for running out the door like that, but she doesn’t regret it. It feels a little mean though, she should definitely apologize to Yukina tomorrow. Lisa briefly wonders if Yukina would even care, maybe she’ll just go back to her usual expression and say something like “Just don’t do it again.”

The girl shakes her head, _ ‘Don’t be silly.’ _

-

Today was the weekend, a Saturday to be exact. Today is the day that she’s finally going to do it, Sayo Hikawa will finally communicate with her sister in a healthy sisterly manner.

Well, she hopes that will happen at least. The first thing she does in the morning is spend nearly an hour working on a multi-paragraph apology directed towards one Yukina Minato. There is no band practice today, so she clearly can’t approach the girl physically. She was too distracted last night to stress over the fact that she had a shameful petulant outburst during band practice. She opens up Yukina’s contact information and texts her the explanation and feels her heart rate increasing from the anticipation. After a long five minutes of Sayo staring at the screen, she finally receives a reply, _ ‘I understand, Sayo. Thank you for approaching me and apologizing. As I’ve stated before, personal feelings have no place in Roselia. I trust that will not happen again.’ _

The guitarist lets out a breath she didn’t even know she was holding. The tension falls out of her shoulders as she hastily texts a reply, _ ‘I understand completely, Minato-san. I merely let my feelings take over in the heat of the moment, I will make sure that is the last time you see this kind of behavior from me.’ _

Sayo’s ears perk as a pair of footsteps thundered towards her room. The girl sighs and sets her phone down, knowing exactly what to expect. A loud, “Onee-chan!” echoes through the house as her twin sister practically slams her door open. The older twin merely shakes her head, “Hina! How many times do I have to tell you to not barge into my room?”

“Eheh, sorry about that! It’s just that I’m suuuuper excited, I just know that it’s gonna be a boppin’ day!”

“I understand your excitement, Hina, but me inviting you to go stargazing isn’t an invitation to completely disregard my personal space.”

Hina’s stance became slack, “I… I understand, onee-chan. I’m sorry…”

Sayo feels her heart twist at the sight of her sister, who suddenly seemed awfully somber as opposed to her earlier bubbly self. The girl lets out a sigh, “Though I suppose I can allow it for today.”

“Really?!” Hina’s eyes immediately lit up.

“...Yes, but don’t make me regret it.”

“Yay! I promise I won’t, I’ll be super careful!”

The older girl relaxes once more, “I’m sure you will. Now then, it’s quite early still. Why don’t you go do something fun for a while?”

“Hmm… Let’s go shopping then! You know, the both of us,” she points between Sayo and herself for emphasis.

Sayo raises an eyebrow, “Eh? But, I still need to study for my tests and practice guitar…”

“You can do that later! I wanna spend time with you today!”

“I… see,” Sayo bites her lip. She wasn’t expecting this, and she wasn’t quite sure if she was ready to spend this much time with Hina. Sayo has done a remarkable job of holding back her contempt so far, but she’s unsure of how long she can actually handle Hina’s presence before needing to separate herself.

“Onee-chan?” Hina waves her hand in front of Sayo’s face, “Earth to onee-chan!”

Lisa did mention to not overdo it, she should take that advice to heart. Sayo shakes her head, “I’m sorry, Hina. I don’t think I’m quite ready for that.”

“Oh… That’s okay, I get it! I can just go by myself then.”

“Have fun.”

“Thanks, I’ll see you later!”

Hina barrelled out of Sayo’s room as the older twin gave a small wave to the retreating figure. Sayo frowns as a weird sensation begins to rise, it quickly turns into a sharp pain through her chest. It feels like a has pit formed in her stomach. Somehow she can tell that it definitely did not belong to her. Her mind instantly drifts towards wondering if Lisa is okay before stopping herself short, _ ‘There’s no solid evidence that she’s your soulmate, Sayo. Don’t get ahead of yourself.’ _

Deep inside Sayo feels a small tinge of disappointment, and she doesn’t know why; she’s too scared to find out.

-

Lisa finally manages to work up the courage to walk over to Yukina’s house. They’re right next to each other, so all she had to do was take a few steps really. But each step feels as if a ton of bricks are strapped to each of her feet. The bassist had made sure to come prepared. Lisa had woken up early in the morning to prepare her ‘apology cookies’ for Yukina; they are all cat shaped, of course.

The girl finally approaches the front door. Technically, Lisa could really just leap over the veranda, but she figured that Yukina wouldn’t be very happy with her if she did. So, Lisa rings the doorbell and silently waits for an answer. She hears a click later as the door opens to reveal her childhood friend, still wearing cat pajamas.

“...Lisa.”

“Ahah, hey there Yukina! Do you mind if I come in?”

“I suppose not,” Yukina stepped aside as Lisa enters the house, taking off her shoes as she does so.

“Sorry for the intrusion~!”

“My parents aren’t home right now,” the vocalist eyes the bag of cookies in Lisa’s hand, “What are you doing here?”

Lisa gently closes the door behind her, “Well, I just wanted to properly apologize for yesterday, that’s all,” the bassist gently hands over the bag of cookies. She feels quite proud of herself as she notices Yukina’s face lighten up at the sight of them. She moves towards the living room and takes a seat. The girl silently gestures towards the couch as if to offer Lisa a seat. The taller girl gratefully sits down next to her best friend.

“That’s understandable, but could you not have done that through text? Sayo has already done so.”

“I just wanted to personally apologize! You’re my best friend after all! I owe you that much at least.”

“Ah,” Yukina lips curve downward slightly, “I’m sorry. I didn’t think about that.”

“I-It’s okay, you’re busy after all. With the band and stuff. Anyway, I’m really sorry for rushing out of practice like that!”

“I do admit that I was quite surprised. Though, Sayo seems to be in a much better state fairly quickly. I’m assuming that has to do with you?”

“Ah, maybe it does!”

“Then I suppose it’s fine.”

Lisa expected this distance between her and Yukina, of course she did. It still didn’t hurt any less. She knows that she has to come to terms with it sooner or later, but she still doesn’t want to accept the fact that Yukina might not need her anymore.

“Hey, Yukina. What is Roselia to you?”

Yukina’s raises her eyebrows, “What’s with this sudden question?”

“I just want to know.”

“...Well, Roselia is clearly a band of the utmost quality. We will rise to the top and reach Future World Fes,” the vocalist pauses, as if to hesitate, before continuing, “Believe me, I will get to Future World Fes. No matter what it takes.”

Lisa lets out a laugh, but it rings hollow, “I see, so still the same as before, huh?”

“Are you surprised?” The other girl meets Lisa’s gaze with piercing eyes, “What about you, Lisa? What is Roselia to you?”

Lisa is aware that the question carried a lot of weight. The girl shrugs, “Roselia is important to me.”

“Is that all?”

“Were you expecting more?” Lisa offered a cat-like smile, “I first joined the band because it was something important to you. I wanted to stay by your side and help you. But now, Roselia has become something special for me, too.”

“Roselia is not-”

“I know, I know. I’m still taking it seriously, you know. I want to make it to Future World Fes too, with everyone!” The bassist pumps her fist, “I’m still gonna try my hardest!”

Yukina flinches so subtly that Lisa barely noticed, “I see.”

“Is something wrong, Yukina? You look worried about something…”

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

_ ‘Ouch, that stings,’ _ Lisa folds her arms, “Hey, come on! You used to tell me what was bothering you all the time!”

“That was the past, Lisa, and I don’t want to talk about it. I’m sorry.”

“Ah~ that’s okay,” the girl slowly rises, “I guess I should get going now!”

“Oh, you’re leaving already?”

“I just needed to apologize, y’know? I got that off my chest now so… off to practice it is!”

Lisa makes an exaggerated stride towards the door and leaves the house before Yukina is even able to say anything. As the door closes behind her, she lets out a long breath.

The rift between the two has widened, but Lisa can still feel the thread.

“Alright! It’s time to work hard!"

-

Sayo taps her foot and checks her wristwatch. It was six in the evening, and Sayo is standing at the foot of the hill that Hina had specified. She didn’t know what she was expecting, but Hina is late. The girl sighs, at the very least she had nothing else planned for today.

“Oneeee-chan! I’m sorry I’m late!”

“It’s fine, you were only a few minutes… what is that?” Sayo points at the mystery item that Hina is holding. The younger girl grins at the inquiry before grabbing the item in question and showcasing it in the air.

“Look, I got this really boppin’ scarf at the mall today! I thought it’d look really good on you, so I bought it,” Hina proceeds to approach the taller girl and enthusiastically wraps the scarf around her neck. She steps backwards and admires her handiwork, “See? Perfect!”

“Thank you, Hina,” Sayo fiddles with a strand of the scarf, “It’s red… It’s a nice color, it reminds me of Imai-san.”

“Eh? Why?”

“I’m… not sure…” Sayo mulls over her memory. Why did this color remind her of Lisa specifically? The guitarist constructs a mental image of the girl and quickly notes the color of her bass, which is red. Her thoughts drift to the rainy weather a few days ago. She remembers the warmth of Lisa’s hands as the other girl grasped her hand firmly but gently with her own. She recalls the kind feline smile on the girl’s face. The guitarist briefly wonders how it would feel to relish in the warmth of those tender hands on her face. Sayo flusters and shakes herself from her rampant fantasy before it goes too far.

“Onee-chan?”

“I believe… it’s the color of her nail polish,” Sayo doesn’t believe it herself, but she desperately wants an excuse for looking at more than just the instrument.

“Huh… Anyway, are you ready?”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

The next couple hours fly by incredibly fast. Sayo wasn’t sure why, but she had become invested in Hina’s explanation of the stars and constellations. She feels no bitterness as she listens to her sister’s vivid descriptions. The two of them continue to gaze up at the night sky, blanketed in velvet dark the stars still manage to sparkle above them and gaze back. Sayo found the sight charming, beautiful even. In reality, the stars were truly just distant lights, but they felt so close at the same time, as if they were calling to her heart. The older twin watches as her sister continues to point at certain formations excitedly, all while wearing a grin on her face that reached from ear to ear.

“Look, up there! That one is called Lepus, it’s supposed to be a rabbit that was chased by Orion,” Hina carefully traces out the constellation with her finger.

“Ah, I see it… Imai-san would like this one.”

“Hm, why do you say that?”

“She has that strange rabbit earring does she not? The one that she wears upside down.”

“Huh… Onee-chan, you sure like Lisachi a lot, don’t you! Look, you’re even smiling!”

Sayo flushes, “What are you on about, Hina?”

“It’s just that you bring her up a lot! You guys must be super good friends.”

“We’re just… bandmates. Normal friends. There’s nothing more to it.”

“Hmm~ if you say so,” Hina lets out a light-hearted giggle.

Sayo folds her arms and looks away to avoid Hina noticing her red face, “What’s so funny?” 

“It’s just been a really long time since we’ve been able to talk normally like this. I missed it a lot!”

“Hina…” Sayo twirls a strand of her hair, a tinge of guilt rising, “I’m… really sorry.”

“It’s okay, I’m just really grateful that we’re talking again!”

The sentiment renders Sayo completely speechless. She has no idea how to respond to the genuine joy expressed by her sister, and begins to find herself remorseful of the way she had been acting. The girl finally takes a good look at her sister once more, “Why do you look up to me so much? After everything I’ve put you through, shouldn’t you hate me too?”

“Why would I hate you? You’re the coolest, most boppin’ person ever! I mean, I picked up the guitar just to hang out with you!”

“You… wanted to hang out with me?”

“Of course! But you always shrugged it off because of something like,” Hina pauses and puts her hands on her hips, lowering her eyebrows and her voice, “We’re not little kids anymore! You always want to do things together!”

“Ah… I see."

“But, you’ve become nicer to me ever since you joined Roselia!”

Sayo raises her eyebrows in confusion, “I have?”

“Yeah! You seem to have fun too, Lisachi has been sending me videos of your practices. You were smiling!” Hina covers her mouth, “Ah, sorry! I wasn’t supposed to tell you that I was peeking in on your practices.”

“Hina… “

Sayo isn’t entirely sure how she should feel. All this time she had figured that Hina only copied her to be better than her. Yet here her sister was, completely unaware of all of the strife that Sayo has towards that talent. It almost seems cruel to the older twin, putting Hina through all of this just from a sheer misunderstanding. But even so, it might be even worse when she was never intentionally trying to be better and succeeding anyway.

“Onee-chan, why did you avoid me so much?”

“That’s something I’m not quite prepared to talk about, I apologize,” Sayo tucks her jacket in, “Hina, you’re right that it’s been a long time since we’ve talked like this. I’m sure that must be my fault…”

“You don’t have to apologize! I had a really good day today. I got to hang out with you, and I got to see you smile for the first time in so long!”

“Seriously, you’re so carefree, Hina,” Sayo lets out a short laugh.

“Ah! That’s amazing, you laughed!”

“What’s amazing about that? I can laugh sometimes too.”

“But it’s been forever, it’s totally zappin’!” Hina jumps to her feet, “Hey, let’s go get some food!”

“What? But I’m not even that hungry…”

“Sharing with my sister~ Let’s go, come on!” Hina grabs Sayo by the arm and tugs on it repeatedly.

Sayo slowly gets to her feet and allows herself to be dragged along by Hina, “Jeez, you’re not even listening are you…”

For the first time in a while, Sayo’s heart feels light around her sister.

-

A couple of days have passed since that incident during practice. Everything seems to have gone back to normal, with Sayo and Yukina still being uptight as usual. Still though, Lisa notices that Sayo relaxes from time to time and lets her guard down. She’s also been getting stories from Hina about how Sayo is making an effort to speak to her more. She’s glad things are like this now. The band is going along well, and it seemed like they even had a chance to make it to Future World Fes!

That’s what she thought, but Ako and Rinko seemed awfully down today. They were currently taking a thirty minute break, so Lisa decides to approach the two, “Hey, what’s wrong, you two? Is something troubling you? Ah, I bet it’s about that NFO game again!”

Ako seems hesitant before answering halfheartedly, “I’m just thinking about something, that’s all… Isn’t that right, Rin-rin?”

“Yes…” Rinko nods in affirmation.

Lisa isn’t easily convinced, but she lets it slide anyway. Instead she turns her attention towards Sayo, who was currently fervently discussing something with Yukina. The two nod to each other and separate, allowing Lisa to easily approach the teal-haired girl. Sayo notices her approaching and nods, “Greetings, Imai-san, did you need something from me?”

“Oh nothing~ I just wanted to talk to you!” 

“Talk to me…?”

“A-about Hina, ahaha!” Lisa decides to shrug off that weird look Sayo is giving her.

“Oh, well I’m sure you must know by now, but it went well,” Sayo twirls a strand of her hair and averts her eyes, “Thank you, Imai-san. For the suggestion, I mean.”

“Of course! I’m glad it went well, Hina’s been talking about you even more now!”

“Does she really talk about me that much?”

“She does, and who wouldn’t when her sister is this cool!” Lisa begins to count on her fingers, “Let’s see here, she’s super talented, really smart, awfully attractive and extremely pretty to boot!”

Lisa doesn’t realize what she said until she notices Sayo turning her head to the side, the tips of her ears tinged in red. The girl attempts to speak, though her voice is muffled by her palm that she is using to cover her lower face, “I-I appreciate the sentiment, Imai-san…”

Lisa’s face burns as she gave a nervous chuckle, trying to not show the fact that she is absolutely mortified, “Ah, yeah, of course! I’m just saying what a lot of people think, ahaha!”

Sayo nods, “I… understand.”

Desperately seeking for a way out of the situation, Lisa decides to change the topic, “So did you see the costumes Ako and Rinko made?”

“I did, however, I told them that it should be more stylish in order to fit with Roselia’s theme.”

“Ah~ that sounds like something you would say.”

“I see,” Sayo looks down at her wrist watch, “Ah, Minato-san, break is over.”

Yukina nods, “Let’s resume practice, everyone return to your positions.”

As Lisa expects, Ako and Rinko trudge at a snail’s pace. It is a little unsettling to Lisa, seeing the ever so energetic ‘Demon Princess’ be so reserved and quiet. Unfortunately she’ll need to worry about that later as the first strum of Sayo’s guitar rings through the studio. Practice begins as usual, but the rhythm is off. Lisa glances towards the young drummer and notices that she’s a little behind. Her ears attentively listens more as she notices the piano comes in late during certain phrases as well. Lisa frowns, _ ‘At this rate Yukina will…’ _

As if on cue, Yukina ceases her vocals and holds up a hand, “Stop, that’s enough.”

“Aha, what’s wrong, Yukina?”

“Please don’t act as if you are unaware, Imai-san,” Sayo folds her arms, “You of all people should have noticed. Udagawa-san’s playing is behind tempo.”

Yukina nods, “Exactly, and so is Rinko’s. You two, pick up the pace.”

“Hey, what’s going on here guys? You two have been acting strange all practice,” Yukina has too, Lisa silently notes to nobody but herself.

“Udagawa-san, I suggest you continue to give it your all, if not then maybe you should just-”

Ako interrupts hesitantly, “U-um, actually…”

“Ako-chan…!”

“I’m sorry Rin-rin, but I have to! I… saw something today. We both did.”

“What exactly did you see?” Sayo presses.

“Well,” Ako begins to fidget nervously, “We saw Yukina-san talking in a hotel… with this woman in a suit.”

Yukina visibly widens her eyes. Sayo shakes her head, “Why are you bringing this up? It’s Minato-san’s private life, you should not be concerned with it.”

Rinko gently places a hand on the shorter girl’s shoulder, “Ako-chan… Maybe we should drop it…”

“I know, I know we should! But I can’t stop thinking about it,” the drummer’s eyes brim with tears, “I’m doing everything I can to help Roselia find their own brand! I… I hate that we might not even be able to enter the contest!”

The outburst catches everyone off-guard. Lisa begins to panic, the situation has become much more tense. Sayo steps forward, her voice inked with hostility, “What do you mean?”

Ako begins to elaborate, and as the entire situation unfolds Lisa can only stand in disbelief. The fact that all this time Yukina had been talking to a scouting agent, and telling nobody about it. The fact that Yukina would’ve thrown Roselia away if it meant getting to Future World Fes. The thought sent a searing pain throughout Lisa.

Sayo closes her eyes after Ako finishes with her explanation. The girl speaks in an accusatory tone, “I understand it now, Udagawa-san. Minato-san, I’m assuming what they’re saying is true as you haven’t interjected?”

Yukina stays silent, choosing to face away from the others. Sayo nods, “I see. As long as you make it to the main stage, you have no use for us. Is that correct?”

“I just…” Yukina struggles to get any words out.

“You don’t deny it then. In that case…”

“Wait!” Lisa interjects hurriedly, “That can’t be what she means! Just let her have her say, please!”

Lisa turns to Yukina expectantly, hoping this was all a misunderstanding. She hopes that Yukina will have a reasonable explanation, as she always did. But instead, Yukina stays completely silent. Lisa desperately begs, “Please… Say something, Yukina!”

“That’s enough, Imai-san. Minato-san, you told me yourself that together we could achieve great things. You told us all these great things…” Sayo’s eyes blaze with anger, “But all along you were just saying what you needed to whoever would do. All just to get you into this festival, is that it?!”

Ako wilts in her spot, “So… Me and the others, we were all only here to help Yukina-san perform at the festival?”

“Ako-chan… no one is saying that…”

“I feel incredibly let down, Minato-san,” The girl turns her back and begins to pack up her instrument.

“Sayo, wait!” Lisa runs up to the guitarist and places a hand on her shoulder, “Please wait a second, let’s just all hear what Yukina has to-”

“Her silence speaks volumes,” Sayo retorts.

Lisa feels everything crumbling apart. The pain in her chest is oppressive, “Then… what do we do now?”

“You and Minato-san are childhood friends. Not much will change in that regard.”

“That’s not what I meant!”

“Whatever you meant, I’m beginning to get irritated by all of this time we’re wasting,” Sayo gazes at her, “I’m sorry, Imai-san. I think I need to go.”

The girl hoists her guitar on her shoulder and leaves the studio. The room falls eerily silent, and Lisa feels as if she is about to collapse right there. Either from the unwavering pressure in her chest or the suffocating amount of tension in the room. Lisa once again desperately clings to the hope that Yukina has a reasonable explanation. The girl turns towards her best friend, “Yukina, is it true?”“...So what if it is?”  
  
“What if it is…?” Lisa shakes her head in disbelief, “You know what’ll happen to the band! Are you seriously okay with that? Isn’t there anything you want to tell everyone?”

“I don’t care!” Yukina snaps, her calm complexion crumbling into a mask of rage.

“Yukina…”

“I have to join the festival! I’ve always said as much, haven’t I?! I need to join for my father!” The other girl’s visceral reaction catches Lisa off guard entirely, she doesn’t have time to stop the girl as she exits the studio.

The silence is deafening.

-

A day has passed since the letdown. Sayo remains vigilant with her guitar practice as always, but now she feels off, as if something was missing. That thought is ridiculous though, Sayo concludes. Her routine has not changed significantly, save for the dull ache she constantly feels within her chest that once more does not belong to her. A grimace dons her face as she can’t help but wonder about Lisa, her fingers coming to a still. Sayo admittedly was too harsh on her yesterday, and the look of hurt that flashed on Lisa’s face almost made the guitarist embrace the shorter girl. She couldn’t though; she was far too upset for that. But the thought alone makes her wonder of how it would feel to entwine herself in the other girl’s warmth for the second time since that drizzly night. It doesn’t go far after a vibration from her phone shakes her from her thoughts. She briefly glances over and realizes that, speak of the devil, Lisa just now sent her a message. 

_ From: Imai Lisa _

_ ‘Can I see you right now?’ _

Sayo’s eyes widen. Of all the things Lisa could be spending her day doing, she wants to see her? She unlocks her phone and hastily sends a reply, _ ‘Right now? I’m sorry, but today I planned to study after I finish my practice. I’d rather not go out anywhere.’ _

There, that excuse seems fine enough. At least, that’s what Sayo thought until she saw the next reply, _ ‘That’s fine, I can just come over. I just want to talk.’ _

Sayo nearly drops her phone from her trembling hands, her face feels incredibly hot. She can’t even possibly conceive why she is acting like this. Her bandmate and friend, Imai Lisa, was simply requesting to meet with her. So why is she having such a rhapsodical reaction? Her phone rings again, _ ‘So? Can I come over?’ _

Against her own judgement, Sayo responds in affirmation, _ ‘I guess you can. I’ll send you my address.’ _

_ ‘Ah! I’m surprisingly close, I’ll be there in a few. _ _ ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡’ _

Sayo shakes her head and smiles. The tension in her shoulders ease as she waits for the girl to arrive. She paces around her room, feeling oddly giddy and restless. As promised, the doorbell rings after a few minutes and Sayo practically rushes to the door.

Only to find that once she was at the top of the stairs, Hina was already in the process of opening the front door.

_ ‘God damnit.’ _

Sayo closes her eyes and simply curses herself in her own absentmindedness. How in the world could she get so caught up in seeing Lisa that she forgot her own sister was also in the house? The girl flinches as her sister lets out a surprised, “Lisachi!”

“Hina! I didn’t know you would be here,” Lisa walks in, the same smile on her face as always. The girl meets Sayo’s gaze and she finds herself stuck in place, “Sayo! It’s good to see you again!”

“I agree, Imai-san.”

“Whoa… so you’re here to visit onee-chan huh, Lisachi? That’s super boppin’!” Hina skips up the stairs and pats Sayo on the shoulder, lowering her voice to a mere whisper, “Good luck, onee-chan! I’ll leave you two alone!”

Sayo has no time to respond to Hina’s ridiculous notion, because the ecstatic girl bounces off into her room. The silence is unnerving, and Sayo can feel Lisa’s gaze being burned into the back of her head. With as much remaining grace she can muster, she turns around and awkwardly descends the stairs. Her gaze ambles down towards the bag in her hands, “I see you’ve brought something. What is it?”

“Geez, that’s so cold Sayo~! You don’t even greet me when I’ve come all this way just to see you?”  
  
Sayo blinks a few times, “I’m… I’m sorry, good evening Imai-san.”

“Hey, stop being so tense around me, okay?” Lisa places her bag down. She approaches the taller girl and lightly kneads her shoulders, “Loosen up, I’m just a friend!”

“Um, I understand,” Sayo feels her rigidness melt away, her lips turning upwards ever so slightly.

“G-great! Now then,” Lisa picks up her bag and forages through it before she finally pulls out a small bag with a blue ribbon on it, “Here you go~ I made you some cookies.”

Sayo gratefully accepts the package, “Thank you, Imai-san. I wish there was something I could give you in return, but unfortunately I don’t know much about your tastes.”  
  
Lisa taps her chin for a few moments, humming thoughtfully, “Well, I like cookies too!”

Sayo nods, “Just cookies? I suppose I can buy you some…”

“You could, but I like handmade cookies better!”

“Handmade…” Sayo knits her eyebrows, “Imai-san you are aware that I cannot cook, correct?”

“Why don’t I just teach you some time then?”

“I guess that would be acceptable, we can settle on a date later,” Sayo gestures to the couch, “Would you like to take a seat? I’ll bring my things down.”  
  
“How about I just join you in your room?”

“Ah… well if that’s what you want, I don’t mind,” Sayo internally curses at the warmth that rushes to her face, betraying the calm character she’s trying to uphold, _ ‘Get a hold of yourself, there’s nothing strange about this.’ _

“Okay, lead the way then, Sayo!”

The two girls make their way up the stairs in silence, aside from the small humming from Lisa. Sayo notices that the girl’s voice is pleasant, soothing even. The tune by itself isn’t much, but the brunette’s voice manages to make it more colorful. After a few more brief moments of enjoying the simple melody, they arrive at Sayo’s room. She opens the door and calmly gestures for the girl to come in.

“Wow~ so this is Sayo’s room, huh? It’s pretty homey, even if a little bit simple.”  
  
“I like to keep things modest,” Sayo sits down at her desk and places the bag of cookies down. She begins to sift through her books, “I have a bit to do, so you can make yourself at home in the meantime.”

Lisa says nothing, so Sayo assumes she’s fine with the arrangement. Moments pass with not much noise other than the scribbling of a pencil and the occasional flip of a page. It’s oddly serene despite having another person in the room with her. She simply gets lost in the pages of her assignment, and she barely notices the extra weight on the back of her chair. A pair of arms comes to rest around her torso as Lisa rests her head on Sayo’s own. She immediately freezes and her body stiffens, Lisa is standing directly behind her.

“Imai-san, what are you doing?”

“Hm, just looking at what kinda work you’re doing!” Lisa makes a noise of disapproval, “Sheesh, this is the type of stuff you’re learning Sayo? Isn’t this a bit much?”

“It’s not that difficult once you get used to it.”

“You say that, but isn’t that just because you’re smart?”

“Anybody can reach this level with enough effort, it’s nothing special…”

Lisa tightens her grip on her slightly, “I think you’re special enough, Sayo.”

“Imai-san…?”

The girl says nothing. The room falls silent save for the thundering beat in her ears. Sayo continues to work with mild struggle, more from Lisa’s close presence rather than any physical constraints.

“Hey, Sayo… what should I do?”  
  
“Is this about Minato-san?”

“You see right through me, huh~?”

A familiar dull pain begins to rise in her chest again. She takes a moment to simply breathe. Sayo chooses her words carefully, “I can’t say I’m very fond of her right now. I believe she’s making the wrong choice entirely.”

“...What do you mean?”

“If she were to go along with this… talent agency, the semblance of her own music would be lost,” Sayo pauses momentarily to form her words, “They are a company and they will try to market and appeal to a specific large crowd. Her music will change entirely, and any previous fans of Minato-san will simply fade away. So will she.”

“That’s… like her dad…”

“I understand her desire to attend Future World Fes, but we differ in how we wish to arrive on that stage.”

“What can I do then…? I’ve just been by Yukina’s side all along, but I can’t even help her like this.”

“Imai-san… Don’t you see your mistake right now?” Sayo slowly reaches up and takes one of Lisa’s hands into her own, intertwining their fingers. She’s not even aware of her own action, “You’re being too lenient, too kind. You need to voice your concerns directly. So far, to my knowledge you’ve only been following Minato-san’s whims.”

“Sayo…”

“Imai-san, you need to be more assertive and reach out. Your opinions are important as well. That’s what it means to be a band member. That’s what it means… to be a friend. You have taught me that.”

It wasn’t a lie either. Sayo had no idea what a friend even was. Ever since joining Roselia, she steadily begins to understand. 

“...Thank you,” Sayo feels the other girl bury her head in the curve of her neck. Lisa must be crying, she decides from the dampness on her neck. The realization makes Sayo squeeze the girl’s hand, hoping that it’s reassuring. The bassist hugs her tighter, “Is it okay if I stay like this for a bit longer?”

“Of course.”

This warmth and satisfaction feels similar to what she felt on that rainy night. Any trace of embarrassment and bashfulness is gone. Sayo’s only cares about one thing at this point in time; comforting the girl who was there for her.

-

Lisa had to go to work shortly after the exchange with Sayo. It seemed like Moca had a similar problem to her. Now she stands on the veranda, looking over towards Yukina’s room. Her lights still shine through the window, and she notices the girl laying on her bed. She thinks back to the advice Sayo gave her, bracing herself for confrontation with Yukina. She gets carried away though, and thoughts of Sayo floods her mind; she feels warm in spite of the autumn weather. The girl held her hand so kindly and was so tolerant towards her. A spark of hope flares in Lisa’s heart, maybe the guitarist _ did _ feel the same way as her. Lisa shakes her head and pats her cheeks a couple times, “Okay, Lisa! You can do this. Steer her from the bad decisions, just like what you told Moca!”

Bracing herself, she sends a text, _ ‘Hey Yukina~! Open your window!’ _   
  
A moment passes before Yukina simply replies, _ ‘No. I’m busy.’ _

_ ‘Busy lying around on your bed, huh~? Your curtains are open silly!’ _ _   
_ _   
_Lisa observes as Yukina slowly rises from her bed and opens the window. The brunette climbs over the balcony nimbly, “Hey~! Wow, I haven’t been to your room in ages! You do know we’re neighbors, right? You should visit more.”

“...We see each other everyday anyway. Did you want something?”

Here goes nothing. Lisa takes a breath, “Mmm, I wanted to apologize first of all. That whole agency stuff? Didn’t realize a thing at all,” the bassist takes a seat on the bed, “You must’ve been dealing with that ever since I last talked to you about Roselia… If I had realized what was happening, I maybe could’ve helped.”

Yukina stays silent, though her face betrays her calm demeanor. It’s twisted in a way that resembles pain. Lisa’s heart sinks but she continues, “I realized something though. I’ve always just stood by your side, it’s all I’ve ever wanted to do… But it was all talk and no action.”  
  
Yukina’s eyes flicker towards her. Lisa waits for any response in suspense, but when she doesn’t get any she continues, “Your dad, your fans, Roselia… You had to carry all that weight by yourself, and I’m sorry for that!” Lisa smiles and holds her hand out towards her childhood friend, “From now on, we can deal with these things together-”

Yukina stamps her foot, “Why?!”  
  
“Eh?”   
  
“Why do you always say that? Why are you so… so kind?! This is… this is all my fault! I’ve got no one to blame but myself!” Yukina clutches at her chest, gritting her teeth she goes on, “Everything that happened with the band, the festival… with my father! You were always there by my side… smiling… always smiling!”

“I know, Yukina… I’m sorry…”  
  
Yukina’s eyes flood with tears, “I… I need you to stop that! As long as you’re there I can’t… focus on my music! I just can’t do it!”

“Oh, right… I’m sorry, you’re just so important to me, I guess… I’ve been coddling you,” Lisa grimaces, “I guess I can’t do anything to help you then… I know how you feel about the festival, Yukina. But when the five of us performed together the other day, the look on your face reminded me of when we used to jam with your dad. I was… incredibly happy to see it.”

Yukina scowls, her fists clenched in an iron grip. Lisa offers a sad smile, “I mean, I thought you looked happy too. I know you’re still unsure, but I just want to say… I don’t want you to quit the band. That’s just how I feel.”

“...Feelings alone won’t get you anywhere.”

“Mmm. I guess you’re right. Thanks for the chat! I feel better now that I’ve gotten it all off my chest. I’m gonna go get some dinner, see ya~!”

Lisa climbs over the balcony once more and returns to her room. After pulling over the curtains, she collapses onto her bed. Her hands are shaking, she realizes.  
  
“I think I’ve done all I can do for now,” she quietly murmurs to herself.

For Yukina’s sake, Lisa realizes that she needs to continue clashing with her like this.  
  
-

Sayo wasn’t expecting a meetup between the members of Roselia today, but here they all were. All five of them once again back at the studio they practiced so much in.  
  
“Are we all here?” Yukina asks. Something about her demeanor seems different to Sayo. 

“First… I would like to apologize for before. It was rude of me, as a member of this band.”

“What do you mean, exactly?”

“I didn’t fully understand my own feelings. I didn’t fully understand the relationship we all have together. And I apologize for that.”  
  
Ako perks up, “Ah, does that mean…?”   
  
“I turned down the offer.”   
  
Lisa and Rinko gasp in surprise, but Sayo remains unconvinced, “Even so, the truth remains that you gathered us here as competition entrants, not band members.”   
  
Lisa places a hand on Sayo’s shoulder, “Come on, Sayo! Be nice!”   
  
Sayo nearly chastises Lisa again for being too kind, but Yukina holds up her hand, “Stop, Lisa. She’s right, and she’s right to blame me, too.”

“Then I’m partly to blame too! I just stood there and watched… and I didn’t help you at all!”  
  
“Lisa-nee… did you know about the scout?”

“I’m the only one who knew about this,” Yukina shakes her head, “She is not to blame at all. Just be quiet, Lisa.”  
  
“I’m not just going to be quiet anymore! After all this time… I still want you to be in the band, Yukina!”

Sayo contemplates the vocalist’s intentions. She sighs, “You are still not clear, Minato-san. I don’t know what it is that you want.”

“It’s like you said, Sayo. Everything I have done, all of the music, it has all been to take part in Future World Fes.”

“Future World Fes is our goal, yes. I’m doing my best to reach it too… But Minato-san, if everything you’re doing is just to play at this festival, what exactly do you plan on doing after? I don’t mean to be rude, but it seems like you have no vision beyond that.”

“Huh? Then that would mean…” Ako frowns at the suggestion.

“Exactly. When all is said and done, we will simply be thrown away.”

“That’s not true!” Yukina cries out, “I mean… maybe it was, once, when I was looking for new members but… when I found you, Sayo… when we all came together, it became less about my father and…”

“Your father?” Sayo lifts an eyebrow.

“The truth is… I was using the band and the music for my own personal reasons. It’s a very long story, but… When my father was young, he was in a band…”

The silver haired girl explains the origins of her father’s band, and slowly everything clicks. Sayo folds her arms, “I've seen that band before, in magazines. They say they were huge back in the indie scene... I had no idea your father was a member, Minato-san…”

“I formed Roselia with a promise to find our own brand of music, all the while hiding my own personal reasons and deceiving you all… now I know that I must take responsibility and quit the band.”

“H-hold on, now…”

Ako stutters out a response, clearly alarmed, “Um, I-I think…!”

Yukina interjects, “However… I know I don’t deserve it, I know I lied about my ideals, my feelings, hiding my true beliefs… But I still want us to play together, all five of us!”

The declaration stuns the room into silence. The vocalist continues, “I want to stay with Roselia! …I don’t know how you all feel about that, and I understand that it’s incredibly selfish of me but…”

“...You told me before, Minato-san. You said that we cannot bring personal feelings into the band,” Sayo smiles, “However these feelings of yours… I can understand. Why we continue to play is one thing, but why we want to start in the first place…? Everyone has their own reasons.”

“Th-that’s right!” Ako pumps her fists excitedly, “I only started because I wanted to be just like my sister! It’s the same with you and your father, Yukina-san!”

Rinko smiles at the shorter girl, “That’s right... and I just wanted to… help myself change.”

Lisa giggles, “Well I just wanted to be with Yukina… but you all knew that~!”

Sayo acknowledges everyone’s thoughts with a nod of the head, “Everyone has their issues. The reason we hold onto them is because we can’t let go. But all we can do is keep moving on… right?”

“Sayo…”

Sayo gives Yukina an amused look, “I, too, want us to continue playing together.”

“Huh? Does that mean…” Ako taps her chin for a few seconds, mulling over a thought. Then she suddenly cheers, “Roselia is back together?!”

Sayo and Yukina respond in unison, “We never split up.”

The two look at each other, stunned. Lisa chuckles, and everything seems to be whole again. Everything seems right.

Sayo grins, “Then I guess it is settled. We will enter Future World Fes together, as Roselia.”

Her heart races, a passionate flame reignited in her heart. Yukina stares at everyone dumbfounded, but she too eventually laughs.

Roselia is back.

-

Saying that Lisa was nervous would be an overstatement. She only feels a buzz of anticipation, for the most part she was quite calm. Everyone in Roselia seem quite loosened up as well, it’s as if they’ve always been this close with each other. Though it seems she was so calm that she overlooked one important thing: her appearance.  
  
“Oh, no, no no no! I forgot my hairspray!” 

Sayo appears beside her in a flash, a can of hairspray in her hands, “I told you not to forget anything… Here.”

“Thanks, Sayo,” Lisa beams. Sayo has softened up since they first met, and a part of her is relieved. Even when an image of Pastel Palettes flashes onto the TV and the murmurs around them talk about their talented guitarist and drummer, Sayo continues to smile serenely at Lisa. The bassist reaches up and smooths the taller girl’s hair, “You’re smiling a lot more. It looks great on you~!”

“I decided to take your advice seriously once again, Imai-san,” Sayo laughs, it rings out sweet and joyful. It’s so comforting to Lisa, finally seeing Sayo like this; unchained from her jealousy and burdens.

“Rin-riiiin!” Ako collides into Rinko with a tight hug, “Are you gonna be okay? The stage is really really big you know! You’re not gonna turn blue again right?”

“I… I think I’ll be fine, Ako-chan… as long as I’m with my keyboard, with Roselia… I feel fine…”

“I totally get what you mean! I feel invincible when I’m smashing my drums!” The twin tailed girl raises her fist eagerly, “Alright! Let’s go show them just how hard Roselia practiced!”

Yukina patiently places a hand on the girl’s shoulder, “Ako, try to calm down. There are other bands here as well.”

“Imai-san, are you finished with the hairspray? I need to use it too.”  
  
“Oh, sorry, hold on!” Lisa quickly applies the spray and styles her hair. As she does so, she recounts all the challenges this band has come across, and she’s glad things have turned out like this. Rinko was no longer afraid of crowds, Sayo was no longer bothered by the very mention of Hina, and Ako looks as happy as ever. Even when they’re all about to start the contest, Roselia is tranquil. 

“What about you, Yukina…? Huh? Yukina?”

“Minato-san has stated she wanted some fresh air before the performance.”  
  
“Oh, okay! Here you go, Sayo! I’m gonna go catch up with Yukina~!”

“Thank you.”

Lisa strides out the room and finds Yukina outside, staring peacefully at the night sky. The bassist approaches her friend, “Hey Yukina~! I thought you’d be preparing for the show, turns out you’re out here!”

“However much we prepare, it’ll go how it goes.”

“What’s with that? You’re the leader of Roselia right? That wasn’t very inspiring, you know~!”

“Practice is all that matters, whatever the result.”

Lisa notices the way Yukina carries herself has changed. She’s still standing straight with the aura of a leader, but her posture is no longer strained.

“What is it, Lisa? You’re staring.”

“It’s just… you look so relaxed, I’m glad.”

“...I am too. It’s feels great to not be hiding anything anymore,” Yukina’s smile is on full display, “Thank you, Lisa.”

“That’s good! Wait,” Lisa pauses, her mind still processing the genuine gratitude shown, “Wait, huh?!”

“It’s time. Let’s head back.”

“Hold on a second! Yukinaaa!”

As the two arrive back in the dressing room once more, Sayo awaits them. She clears her throat, “Five more minutes. You made it just in time.”  
  
Yukina smirks, “I’m ready. Lisa?”   
  
“Huh? Yeah! I-I’m totally fine, yep!” Lisa feels her hands shaking so she clasps them together in an attempt to veil her agitation.

A staff member calls out, “Roselia, to the stage please.”

As beckoned, the members walk single file towards the stage entry. Lisa isn’t entirely sure about this, she’s afraid that she’ll slip up. She’s afraid that one tiny mistake on her part will undermine everyone’s efforts, despite working so hard to finally get to where they are now.  
  
“Imai-san, you’ll hit someone with your instrument if you keep looking at the floor like that,” she casts a pleasant expression towards the bassist, “Face forward.”

“Face… forward…” Lisa grins back, “Thank you, Sayo.”

-

A month has glided by since Roselia failed to pass the preliminary round. All Sayo could describe it as was bittersweet. They received many praises, most even thought they would be the group to win, but they were not able to pass because of some trivial decision making from the judges. 

Sayo can’t say she’s too mad though, even if she refused to admit it. She remembers the passion-filled performance they put on; the way her heart was lit afire, the way she was at peace the entirety of their set. She remembers the blinding brilliance of the lights on stage, the crowd holding their breaths in anticipation and bursting into cheers when the first guitar riff echoed through the venue. At the end of it all, she remembers the hazel locks that enveloped her as the scent of cookies blanketed her senses. She recalls the dazzling smile that graced her vision. It wasn’t unwelcoming in the slightest.

A ring of the doorbell carries her back to the present. Rising from the couch, she opens the door to reveal a familiar sight. There Lisa stands with that same smile on her face. The girl waves, “Heyo, Sayo~! It’s chilly outside isn’t it? I guess it’s to be expected since it’s almost Christmas!”

Sayo laughs, “Why do you seem so excited, Imai-san?”

“I get to teach Sayo how to bake cookies~! Of course I’m excited.”

“I do have to warn you, I have no experience in the kitchen at all.”

“You think that’s gonna stop me? I have to deal with Yukina all the time!”

Sayo feigns shock, “Really? Is Minato-san that bad of a cook?”

Lisa enters through the door and waves her hand dismissively, “All that girl cares about these days is her music, sheesh,” the brunette delicately taps Sayo on the nose with a finger, “Kinda like you!”

Sayo flushes and flinches backwards. Lisa didn’t seem to notice as she continues straight towards the Hikawas’ kitchen, humming that same melody that Sayo has heard dozens of times now.

“Hey Sayo, you did get the ingredients I told you to right?”

“Yes, I followed the list exactly.”

Lisa opens the fridge and begins taking out the necessary ingredients. Sayo watches curiously as the girl deftly moves around the kitchen. 

“You seem quite skilled at this, Imai-san.”

“Ahah~ well I have been doing this for a few years now.”

“I could tell from the taste of your cookies alone. They’re always delicious.”

“Really? It’s rare getting such high praise from you, Sayo~!” Lisa gestures for Sayo to come closer, “Get over here, do you want to make cookies or not?”

Sayo hesitantly makes her way to the kitchen counter and stands beside Lisa. The girl hands her a hair tie, which she gratefully accepts and uses to put up her hair in a ponytail. 

“So, what exactly do we do, Imai-san?”

“Hmm, well first,” Lisa sets two bowls side by side, “We want to mix the ingredients, of course! We’ll set the dry ones in here… and the wetter ingredients in here.”

Sayo observes as the other girl elegantly measures the components and place them in their designated bowl. Lisa explains each part of the process very carefully, and Sayo finds herself intently listening. She begins to demonstrate a specific motion, then hands Sayo a mixer and smiles, “Are you just gonna watch me? You’ve been paying attention right?”

“Right, sorry,” The guitarist, though very efficient with her hands, takes some time to get used to the movement.

“Ah, that’s enough Sayo, it’s fully mixed now,” Lisa stills her hand. Sayo momentarily stares at the girl’s hand before passing her the bowl. She continues to follow along as the brunette mixes the ingredients from the two bowls together. Lisa eventually stops mixing as the dough reaches a light brown state. 

“What now?” Sayo asks.

“Well, this is the fun part! We cut the dough and make shapes out of it!”  
  
“Ah. I see,” Sayo picks up a knife from the holder, “Okay, how do we do it?”   
  
“N-no, Sayo, put the knife down, we don’t need it!”   
  
“We… don’t?” Sayo looks at the blade, perplexed. She sets it back into the holder, “How do we cut the cookies then?”   
  
“With these, of course!” Lisa puts on a large grin and sets down multiple shaped cutters on the counter. Sayo gawks at them mistifiedly as the bassist begins placing balls of cookie dough on the wax paper applied tray. She then slides it over towards Sayo and finds her spot beside the taller girl. Sayo can feel their shoulders touching as Lisa begins to explain how to use the cutters; Sayo simply follows along absentmindedly, more focused on keeping her composure.

After a short while the dough is ready and they slide the tray into the oven. Lisa laughs, “Well, it wasn’t too bad, right Sayo?”

“Yes, but… I made you do most of the work. Next time I’ll do better.”  
  
“It’s fine~! Baking takes some practice. You’ll be a pro before you know it!”

“I hope so. I want to be able to pay you back after all the cookies you’ve given me.”

Lisa smirks, “You know they’re gifts, right? You don’t have to do that.”

“I don’t have to, but I want to,” Sayo meets Lisa’s gaze meaningfully, “You’ve done much more than just give me cookies. I want to be able to give you something in return.”  
  
“Sayo…”

Sayo quickly turns away and picks up a bowl, “...A-anyway, shouldn’t we wash these?”

“Ah, right. You know how to wash a bowl right?”  
  
“Of course I do.”

The two spend the next few moments quietly cleaning up the kitchen, the only real consistent noise being the stream of water from the sink. Sayo begins stacking the leftover ingredients in her fridge, noting that it looks much more full now. As the girl closes the fridge, she hears a yelp. 

Sayo quickly turns her head towards the sound, her heart drumming as she rushes to catch the currently falling girl. Sayo seizes her arm and pulled her closer, lifting her upright. She clutches the girl firmly in her arms, the thundering beat in her ears refuses to subside. Sayo puts enough space between the two for her to examine Lisa’s face. The girl is wide-eyed, her chest heaving up and down.

“Are you alright, Imai-san?”

“Y-yeah… I’m okay… I just slipped, that’s all!”

Her grip on Lisa remains steady. Her senses finally return to her, she didn’t realize just how little the distance was between the two. Sayo takes note of the other girl’s flushed cheeks and how their faces were so close she could feel Lisa’s breath brushing across her skin. Sayo hastily pushes herself off of Lisa and turns away. She raises a trembling hand to cover her mouth, her face rapidly becoming red.

“E-excuse me, Imai-san. I need to go to the restroom,” Sayo quickly walks away from the scene, her face continuing the burn furiously red. 

She winces in pain as she begins to feel a pounding weight in her chest.

-

Lisa buries her face in her hands, the cool surface chilling her burning cheeks. She inwardly curses herself for being careless, how could she slip over _ some water? _ They were so close to… doing what, exactly? What was she hoping for? For Sayo to somehow reciprocate her feelings?   
  
“Lisachi?”   
  
Lisa peeks out from her hands to a concerned Hina standing in front of her. She sighs, “Yeah, what’s up, Hina?”   
  
“Are you alright? I saw onee-chan storming upstairs and I got worried.”   
  
“Oh, it’s nothing! She just... went to the restroom.”

Hina seems to regard her carefully, her expression pensive. It’s the most thoughtful Lisa has ever seen the other girl. She hums, “Say, you have a crush on onee-chan don’t you?”  
  
“H-Hina! Don’t say something so embarrassing out loud!”   
  
“So you’re not denying it?” Hina tilts her head, oblivious as always, “Well, it was just a guess, but I got it right! Boppin’!”

“Hold on, I didn’t...” Lisa fidgets with the hem of her skirt.  
  
“Well?”   
  
“...Is it really that obvious?”   
  
“I mean, yeah, kinda,” the girl begins to count on her fingers as she lists off the various hints, “You always talk about her with this smile on your face and you turn bright red, you’re coming over to our house more and more… Oh! Remember that time in class where you called onee-chan the coolest-”   
  
Lisa waves her hands frantically and shushes her, “S-stop! Okay! I get the point!”

“Ah, see! You’re doing it again!” Hina claps joyfully, “Your face is all red!”

“That’s not something to be happy about Hina, jeez!” Lisa sets both of her hands on her face, attempting to cool them down.

“Why don’t you just tell her, Lisachi?” Hina’s brows rise, “Oh! Is it cause of the whole soulmate thing?”  
  
“Well… yes, but no?”   
  
“Ehhhhh? What do you mean by that?”   
  
“I’m… Sayo’s soulmate,” Lisa exhales roughly, “I’ve known for a while now. But I don’t want to just… tell her that, you know?”

“Why not? You’d get to be with onee-chan!”

“It’s not that simple, Hina… I want Sayo to like me because of me, not because we’re soulmates. I don’t want to force things, you know?”  
  
“Is that how it is? Hmm… that’s kinda strange though, isn’t it? I think onee-chan likes you a lot!”

Lisa lets out a brief, bitter laugh, “It’s not like that. Sayo only sees me as a friend and as a bandmate. Sometimes I even wonder if I could ever have a chance to be with her…”  
  
“Lisachi…”

“Just… forget about all of this, okay, Hina?” Lisa begins to put on a pair of mittens and extracts the tray from the oven, “Don’t tell Sayo about it, either.”

“But…”  
  
“No,” Lisa bites back tears, “It’s not right.”

Sayo comes back downstairs eventually, her expression deadpan. Of course, the brunette greets the other girl with the same cheerful smile as always. The older twin smiles back and turns to Hina, who was currently sneaking a cookie into her mouth, and the two bicker for a short while before laughing it off. Lisa feels a twinge of pain within her heart, _ ‘See? She doesn’t feel the same way as you, Lisa.’ _

As the trio enjoy their cookies, Lisa can’t help but remain quiet for the rest of the day.

-

Sayo started practice extremely uneasy. It felt as if everyone suddenly has their gaze on her. Everyone except for Lisa, that is. The girl has become much more reserved lately, and Sayo would’ve been glad if it were a month before. Now however, she feels agitation. It doesn’t feel right. So when break arrives, Sayo attempts to talk to the bassist. She never gets a chance as apparently, Lisa always wanted to move around today.  
  
Sayo blankly stares at her from across the studio, _ ‘Is she… avoiding me…?’ _

Sayo frowns, a feeling of disappointment crawling up from her heart. She decides she’ll spend the rest of her time with her guitar instead of socializing. That’s what she decided to do, until Roselia’s drummer approaches her.

“A-Ako-chan, calm down…”  
  
“No!” Ako stomps her foot and points at Sayo, as menacingly as someone her stature could muster, “Sayo-san! You big meanie! You big dumb meanie!”

“I beg your pardon?” Sayo remains wide-eyed, absolutely perplexed.

“How could you do that?!”

“I… what did I do?”

“Dummy!” Ako points once more before turning away and returning to her drums. Rinko quickly apologizes in her stead and returns to the shorter girl’s side.

Sayo turns to Yukina, “Do you have any idea what she’s talking about?”  
  
Yukina nods, “As a matter of fact, I do. I must agree, you’re quite the ‘dummy’, Sayo.”   
  
“What…?”

The vocalist strides away from her, instead approaching Lisa. The two have a conversation too quiet for her to hear. Sayo can only describe herself as unconditionally baffled. The feeling follows her through the rest of practice, as well as on her way home.  
  
She enters through her front door and shuts it wearily, letting out a breath. Taking her shoes off, she notices her sister standing in front of her, patiently waiting. Sayo lets out a sigh, “Yes, Hina? Did you need something?”   
  
“You seem tired, onee-chan. Did something happen today?”   
  
“The strangest things did. For some reason, everyone was somewhat… hostile to me, during practice,” Sayo frowns, “Except for Imai-san… Hina, do you know something?”

“Mmm, I might know a teensy bit.”  
  
“I must’ve done something wrong… should I apologize? What could I possibly have done…?”

“I think you’re thinking too much, onee-chan!”

Sayo tightens her fists, “Thinking too much? If I did something to upset Imai-san then I…”  
  
“Then you what, onee-chan?” Hina looks at her expectantly. What was she expecting?   
  
“...Nothing. I’m going to my room, I’ll see you later, Hina.”

“...Okay, good luck.”

Sayo nearly stomps up the stairs. Why is she being so irritable? Why is it so important to make sure Lisa is okay? Sayo shakes her head, _ ‘That’s a normal thing to worry about if you’re friends, isn’t it?’ _

This is ridiculous, she’s simply blowing this out of proportion. Sayo enters her room and quickly sets everything down, with the exception of her guitar. She delicately takes it out from the case and places the instrument on its stand. The girl hastily sits down and sends a message, _ ‘Imai-san, are you well? You didn’t seem to be fine during practice today, and everyone’s attitudes towards me makes it seem like it was something that I did. If I did anything to upset you, please tell me right away. I apologize deeply.’ _

Sayo taps her foot, waiting for a response. Her phone finally rings after a few minutes, _ ‘Oh, I’m so sorry about that, Sayo! It’s not your fault, okay~? Don’t worry about it! I’ll be fine, you’ll see! (＾ω＾)’ _

The teal haired girl smiles and lets out a relieved breath. 

_ ‘Are you absolutely sure? If you need help with anything at all, please notify me immediately. I will be here for you.’ _

Another delay occurs before she receives a reply, _ ‘That’s really sweet of you, Sayo. I’ll keep that in mind~!” _

Finally satisfied, Sayo moves towards her desk to begin working on her assignments for the day. However, she feels a jolt of pain in her chest when she sits down, followed by an ache that is so familiar to her.

Sayo cannot for the life of her understand why her heart is aching despite her all of her relief for Lisa’s wellbeing. 

-

“Yukina, what did you say to her?”  
  
The girl in question takes a sip from her cup, “I did what I had to.”   
  
“Sayo thinks it’s her fault that I’m upset!”

Yukina raises an eyebrow, “What would you say is the source of your sorrow then, if not Sayo?”

“...Yukina, that’s not fair.”  
  
“I know it isn’t, but what also isn’t fair is how you’re treating yourself,” Yukina sets her cup down, “After all you’ve done for me, for the band, for Sayo, why do you continue to feel as if you aren’t worthy of happiness?”

Lisa shakes her head solemnly, “You wouldn’t understand…”  
  
“But I do. Do you think I’m incapable of feeling powerless? Have you forgotten that I was not able to confront Roselia until you managed to convince me to?” Yukina folds her arms, “Lisa, you are a valuable asset to the band as well as an agreeable and reliable friend. As your band leader I cannot allow you to sell yourself short like this. It’s getting in the way of practice as well.”

“Yukina…”

“I will not say this again,” Yukina smiles lightly, “You are worthy of happiness, Lisa. Besides, you’re Sayo’s soulmate, are you not?”  
  
“How did you-”   
  
“I noticed during Sayo’s outburst about her sister. Your pain, I mean. Even through my surprise I noticed.”

“Even then, being her soulmate means nothing if she doesn’t have feelings for me…”  
  
“Oh for the love of…” Yukina quickly takes a breath, “How do you know she doesn’t have feelings for you?”

“How do you know if she does?” Lisa shoots back.  
  
“I don’t, you’re right. How about you just find out if she likes you or not, then?”

Lisa chuckles, “What? You just want me to ask her how she feels about me?”  
  
“Yes, precisely.”   
  
“Wait, what?” Lisa blinks a few times, “Wait, Yukina… What?! Are you crazy?!”   
  
“That would be the most efficient way to find out, would it not?”   
  
“And the most horrifying!” 

Yukina shrugs, “I don’t see what’s so horrifying about it. After all, weren’t you the one who attempted to get me to communicate more? Why can you not do the same?”  
  
“It’s different! Communicating with your band is different than basically just… confessing to your crush!”   
  
“Ahah! I knew it, Lisa-nee has a crush on Sayo-san!” Ako rises from the booth behind her and Lisa nearly jumps from fear.

“How long have you been there?!”  
  
Yukina smirks, “I asked her and Rinko to come along.”

“A-Ako-chan, get down from the booth… people are staring…”  
  
“Oh, right, thanks Rin-Rin!” The girl hops down from the booth behind Lisa and instead stands next to her.   
  
“...Yukina, what’s going on?”

“Don’t worry! We’re calling this plan…” Ako flourishes her hand and places two fingers to her forehead, “The passionate strategy of… um...”  
  
“It was twilight, Ako-chan.”

“Yeah! That! The passionate strategy of twilight!”

“What does that even mean?” Lisa looks between the three girls quizzically.

“Just leave it to us, Lisa,” Yukina nods determined, “This plan is necessary in order for Roselia to reach even greater heights.”  
  
“What?” Lisa looks around frantically, “I mean, seriously, what the heck?!”

“Imai-san… you’re aware of the… New Years Festival at the shrine, right…?”

“I am… wait, no no no no! I know what you guys are getting at, no!”  
  
“Instead of celebrating Christmas, we have decided that Roselia will go to the shrine together on New Year’s Eve. With Hina,” Yukina explains the plan casually, with Ako furiously nodding along.

“That’s right! That’s where Lisa-nee will confess her feelings for Sayo-san!”

“There’s no way I’m doing that! No!”  
  
“Lisa,” Yukina glares at her meaningfully, “This is for Roselia. How will we bloom wildly to the top otherwise?”

“...You’re being one hundred percent serious about this, aren’t you?”  
  
“The future of Roselia is a serious matter.”

Lisa tosses her hands up in defeat, “Fine! Fine, I’ll do it. What do you need me to do?”

Ako cheers loudly as Rinko attempts to calm the girl down. Yukina smirks, “The festival is in a week. You need only come, leave the rest to us.”

Lisa has no idea what’s in store for her, and she’s honestly quite terrified to see what plan her bandmates have come up with.

-

Sayo reluctantly lumbers along behind Hina, who was currently skipping all over the place. The older twin can’t help but smile. As the two approach the festival, many lanterns pass by as people began to flood in. They decided to leave their house fairly early, and it seems that it was the right call. Sayo’s ears attentively pick up the sound of Hina’s humming, as well as the familiar melody she keeps hearing over and over. The girl decides to question it, “Hina, what is that song that you’re humming?”

“Hm? Oh! Lisachi sings it all the time, I think it was called, uh… ‘Distance’, that seems about right?”

“Distance… I see. What is it about?”  
  
“I dunno, I think it’s like, some girl who’s in love and wants to be noticed by her crush. It has a pretty zappin’ tune, even if I can’t understand what it really means!”

“I-I see,” Sayo clears her throat, though nothing leaves her mouth. She shakes her head, _ ‘Why am I getting embarrassed over a simple love song?’ _

Sayo frowns at the mention of it. Lisa has been distant towards her ever since their baking lesson, and she could not for the life of her figure out why. Sayo reckons it could be her imagination, if it were not for the missing warmth of the girl clinging onto her. She feels a pang of disappointment sting her; the girl suddenly scowls even deeper than before.

As the twins near the shrine, they hear a whistle from within the crowd. Sayo turns her head and notices that the rest of Roselia is walking right towards them. She’s relieved and she feels the tension in her shoulders uncoil. Something else, however, catches her eye even more than Roselia; Lisa. Sayo nearly forgets how to breathe as she gawks at the brunette. Her hair is put up in a bun, covered by a beautiful red flower accompanied by a smaller black one. The yukata she wears is light red and matches her nicely, Sayo notes. White and pink flowers were scattered over the cloth, it gives the impression of Lisa’s elegance and charm. The guitarist eyes finally landed on Lisa, meeting her gaze for the first time in days. The girl smiles timidly, and all the warmth that had been missing rushes back to Sayo all at once. 

“Heeeyyy! Sayo-san, Hina-chin!” Ako waves enthusiastically at the two.  
  
“It’s good to see you again, Ako,” Sayo smiles and instinctively raises a hand to pat the younger girl on the head.   
  
Everyone around them freezes, including Ako. Hina breaks the silence loudly, “Awww! No fair, how come you don’t do that to me?”

“What are you on about? I do it sometimes,” she removes her hand from Ako’s head, which causes Ako to shake herself out of her stupor.

Lisa snickers, “Sayo~, that was so unlike you! You even called her by her first name!”

“Imai-san…” Sayo laughs, relieved that the girl was talking to her again, “I suppose you’re right.”

“Sayo-san is so cooool!” Ako stares at the older girl in amazement before turning to her best friend, “Isn’t that right, Rin-Rin?”

“Yes, Ako-chan… Hikawa-san is very cool…”

“Now hold on, I didn’t even do that much…”

Yukina claps twice, “Alright everyone, no more wasting time. We only have a set amount of time before the festival closes after all.”

“Roger that, Yukina-chan!” Hina salutes, “Let’s head to the food stalls everyone!”  
  
Ako pumps her fist, “Yeah!”

The group moves towards the food stalls as mentioned by Hina. Time passes by fairly quickly as Hina and Ako continue their antics, only being stopped by Sayo and Rinko respectively. Yukina follows calmly alongside Lisa, who cheerfully laughs at the lighthearted chaos that ensues in front of them. The familiar sound comforts Sayo, and she finally manages to relax after worrying about what she could’ve done wrong for the last few days. The cluster of girls explore the festival and the rest of the shrine, picking up paper lanterns on the way. It’s the most fun that Sayo has had.

“Maaan, I am stuffed!” Hina pats her stomach to emphasize her point.

“Yeah, me too!” Ako chuckles darkly, “However, the power of the Dark God allows me to expand my capacity even further!”

“Wow~! That’s pretty impressive, Ako!”  
  
“Right, I’m sure that’s the case, “ Sayo drones dubiously.

“It’s true, I’m telling you!” Ako pouts, flailing her arms.   
  
“Alright, alright, settle down, Udagawa-san,” Sayo casts a smile at the younger girl, who immediately composes herself. 

“...Well,” Lisa looks at her phone, “It’s almost midnight! I’m gonna head to the gardens.”

Sayo nods, “Stay safe, Imai-san.”

“Um, yeah,” The brunette turns away, pausing for a moment, as if she were expecting something. Then, she quickly strides away.

A sense of pain rises through Sayo’s chest once more and she grimaces. The rest of the group turn towards her, and Sayo swears she notices resentment in their gazes. Ako is the first to speak up, “Sayo-san, what the heck was that?!”

“Yeah, I agree with Ako-chan!” Hina folds her arms and nods accordingly, “Your romance game is totally not boppin’, at all!”

“Romance…? What are you two talking about?”

“Sayo, you just made Lisa storm away in anger,” Yukina shakes her head in disappointment, “I expected better.”  
  
“What... “ Sayo’s temperance quickly goes from utterly puzzled to absolutely furious, “What are you all even talking about?! I have no idea what any of you expect from me, what is it that I’m constantly doing wrong? I know it’s my fault that Imai-san is feeling terrible, you don’t have to tell me that! What you do have to tell me is what in the hell am I doing wrong?!”

Luckily, they’re in a fairly secluded place, so Sayo only gets a few weird stares from people passing by. She pays them no mind, too fixated on the pressing matter at hand. The group looks at each other, none of them saying a word. Sayo waves her arms impatiently, “Well?!”

“Onee-chan,” Hina’s tone reeks of caution, “How do you feel about Lisachi?”  
  
“How do I feel about her?” Sayo shakes her head, “She’s a reliable friend, an integral part of Roselia as well as my life, and-”   
  
Sayo quickly halts her train of thought. Hina seems to be aware of her sudden epiphany, as does everyone else. They patiently wait in silence as Sayo attempts to get her bearings together. Lisa is an integral part of her life? What does that even mean? Sayo’s chest quickly begins to heave as she struggles to grasp her thoughts. Yukina gently places a hand on her shoulder, “Sayo. Are you aware of how Lisa feels about you?”   
  
The girl in question shakes her head silently. Rinko steps forward, “Hikawa-san… Imai-san cares about you… a lot…”

“I… I understand that,” Sayo nearly chokes on the suffocating pressure in her chest. It’s coming from two sources, she can tell.

“Sayo, you need to relax.”

“I…”  
  
“Onee-chan?”   
  
“I’m her soulmate… but I… I can’t...”   
  
“Sayo,” Yukina grabs her shoulders and forcefully turns the girl towards her, “Listen to me. We all know how you feel about Lisa, so why can you not see it for yourself?”   
  
“It’s… Someone like me can’t be her soulmate, her partner… She deserves better…”

“That’s not true at all!” Hina frowns disapprovingly, “Lisachi trusts you a lot, I can tell! I was really happy when she kept coming over, because you were always happier with her around! The same thing goes for her, I’ve seen it myself! It was super zappin’!”

“Sayo-san… Lisa-nee really cares about you…” Ako pouts, tapping her fingers together anxiously, “It’s okay to feel the same way about her too, y’know? You guys are soulmates!”

“Sayo,” Yukina closes her eyes, “Lisa told me about a promise, a long time ago. She made a promise to help her soulmate, and to always be there for them. She’s kept that promise.”

“Her promise…” Sayo echoes earnestly, her heart beating in her ears.

“Please… Hikawa-san…”

“...I need to go.”  
  
Yukina’s eyes light up in hope, “Does that mean…?”   
  
“I need to repay my soulmate, for all she’s done for me,” Sayo turns towards the gardens, “Thank you, everyone. Truly. I’m sorry for the mess I’ve caused.”

Sayo registers a unified chant of ‘good luck’ behind her as she broke into a sprint, trying her best to ignore the aching in her chest. She mutters a series of apologies on the way, hoping that the girl could somehow hear her. Breaking through the crowd, she rapidly approaches an open hedge gateway. She catches a glimpse of red moving towards the gazebo and bolts towards it, her lungs burning. The exhausted girl finally comes to a halt, doubling over to catch her breath. After a few moments, she slowly approaches the target of her desperation.

Lisa hastily wipes her eyes and sniffs. She turns around, shooting a weary smile towards the taller girl. She laughs, “Sayo… you’re out of breath, are you okay?”  
  
The teal haired girl says nothing and continues on until she stands before Lisa, offering a trembling hand towards her. The brunette accepts it and allows herself to be pulled upwards and embraced. Sayo tightens the grip exponentially, “I am so sorry, Imai-san…”   
  
“Hey, what’s all this? Come on,” Lisa delicately rubs a circle repeatedly on Sayo’s back, “I’ve said it many times before, haven’t I? Loosen up a little.”

“Yes… you’re right,” Sayo separates from the girl and laughs gleefully, gently grasping both of her hands, “Imai-san… I would like to apologize for my foolishness.”

“Mm?”  
  
“I… I am your soulmate. I’m sorry it took so long for me to finally accept it.”   
  
Lisa giggles, “It’s okay. I was pretty stubborn in not telling you.”

“Imai-san, I… I love you.”

“I…” Lisa’s eyes fill with tears, “I love you too, Sayo, with all my heart.”

Sayo reaches up with one of her hands and gently wipes the tears away, “I’m sorry for causing you so much pain. I was a fool... but even so, will you stay with me?”

Lisa nods, her smile still as bright as ever, “Of course… I promise.”

Sayo wraps her arms around the shorter girl’s waist, pulling her in. Lisa moves along with no resistance. The brunette rises onto her toes and closes the gap between the two, connecting their lips clumsily. Their teeth clash once or twice, but Sayo doesn’t mind as she laces their fingers together. They separate for a moment, grinning at each other. Sayo lowers her head once more, planting her lips onto the other girl’s gently. The sound of fireworks thunder on in the background, but the noise is drowned out by their mingling breaths and the beating drum of Sayo’s heart.

The two separate once more, touching their heads together. A familiar smile once again graces Lisa’s face, “Happy New Year, Sayo.”

Sayo cherishes every second of this, so she pulls Lisa in again, kissing her with fervor. Sayo laughs, her lips brushing against the other girl’s, “Happy New Year, Imai-san.”

The new year awaits calmly as the silver moon hangs low, shining upon them approvingly while they embrace one another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm so sorry it took so long to get this chapter out. I originally planned to release this somewhere on January 1 - 5, but I just kept getting carried away. Here it is though, I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! Happy New Year everyone!

**Author's Note:**

> This was a project I started literally at the beginning of summer, all the way back in May. I uh, completely abandoned it for a while, but I'm now back on my grind and hopefully it won't take me that long to finish it this time oop


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